I love you, teacher
by ToraTheShadowFoxDemon
Summary: Yugi Mutou is your average High School student... except he's fallen in love with his teacher! Will the two end up together, or will the problems they face force them apart?  Rated T for yaoi. YYxY
1. The Substitute

Hello, everyone! Tora, here! This is my first fanfiction (not my first **story**, mind you ;D), so please read and review! Please, no flaming, but constructive criticism is welcome.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of the characters, but I do own the story line and whatever OC's I put in.

Now enjoy! :D

* * *

Yugi Mutou put one hand on the door frame and poked his head into the room, his amethyst eyes sparkling curiously, scanning the room for his teacher. He wanted to talk to her about the math assignment, which he didn't understand. Only one problem: she wasn't there. In her place was a man, his back to Yugi, writing out an assignment on the whiteboard. Yugi watched as this man continued writing, his head slowly turning to the right as the letters extended across the board. Yugi cocked his head in wonder, noticing the man's handsome features. He was wearing leather, which looked very good on him, and had large, tri-colored hair, similar to his own. He caught sight of beautiful, crimson eyes.

Yugi was so preoccupied that he didn't notice his hand slowly slipping down the doorframe. It gave out from under him and he stumbled forward, gasping in shock. He caught himself after taking a few steps and looked up, noticing the teacher has stopped writing in mid-word to stare at the student in fascination. Yugi's face burned a deep red as he stood up straight, fixing his backpack, "Ah, er, e-excuse me," he stared at his feet in embarrassment, "D-do you know where Miss Keen is?" The man smiled kindly, a smile that made Yugi's heart beat ten times faster, "I'm sorry, I'm not sure I follow. Miss Keen?" his deep voice caught Yugi in a trance, "She... she's supposed to teach in this room." The man straightened the stack of papers in his hands, "I suppose she's home sick. I was assigned to teach this class for however long was needed."

Yugi looked down sadly, sighing, "I was afraid of that." He had nothing against the substitute; in fact, Yugi quite liked this handsome new teacher already; but he was close to Miss Keen. She was an understanding teacher who Yugi could talk to, mostly because she was Yugi's cousin. She was the only one who he told his secret to; he was gay.

His friends would understand and accept him, he knew that, but he did not wish to put them in such an awkward situation. His parents would never understand; they would most likely disown him, at best. His cousin was the only person who would understand and accept him for who he is.

Yugi shot the new teacher a reassuring smile, "Ah, well. What's your name, sir?" The teacher seemed to be distracted but blinked it away, "Ah, Mr. Sennen."  
Yugi grinned, "My name is Yugi Mutou. Pleased to meet you, Mr. Sennen."  
"The pleasure is all mine, Yugi."

The bell over their heads ran three times, announcing for classes to end; Yugi had come in at the end of his lunch to speak with Miss Keen. The pair glanced at the clock and Yugi pushed his backpack further up his shoulder, "Well, I need to get to History; I'll be back here next period," Yugi bowed politely, "It was nice meeting you, sir." With his final words, Yugi Mutou rushed out the door and hurried to his next class.

He ran into his class, finding a group of girls whispering to one another. He sat in his seat, realizing how loud the girls really were.  
"Have you seen him?"  
"Who, the new substitute Math teacher?"  
"Yeah, him!"  
"Oh yeah I just saw him!"  
"Ohmygoodness! Isn't he, like, soooo cute?"  
"Like, totally!"  
"I just want to run my hands through his spiky hair!"  
"Oh, I know, right? Did you see his leather outfit?"  
"Mhm, it's so sexy!"

Yugi tried his best to ignore the frantic whispering of Mr. Sennen's new fangirls, but it was very distracting. His friend, Jonouchi Katsuya, didn't seem to mind; he had tuned it out. "_I wish I could do that,_" Yugi thought with a sigh, "_Instead I'm stuck listening to their squealing._" Finally, the teacher hushed the girls up with threats of detention. Even without the fangirl-ing, Yugi's mind wandered to the new teacher: he was tall, his eyes piercingly beautiful and his voice melodic and deep; he felt a wave of happiness as Mr. Sennen spoke Yugi's name. The few moments Yugi had spent with Mr. Sennen had seemed like an eternity, yet it was way too short. He wished to be back in the man's presence...

Gah, what was he thinking? Yugi shook his head, attempting to get the image of him out of his mind. A student and a teacher? Illegal! Not to mention they were both males- it's unacceptable! Plus Mr. Sennen would never choose Yugi, not in a million years...

Three bells sounded in his ears, once again, drawing him out of his thoughts. Jonouchi appeared by Yugi's desk, "Come on, Yug; hurry up."  
"Sorry!" Yugi apologized as he quickly grabbed his things and rushed out the door with his friend. Jonouchi put his hands behind his head, scoffing, "Can you believe all this fuss with the new teacher? Sometimes I think they're only hiring these guys so girls will **want** to come to class."  
Yugi laughed nervously, "Hahah, yeah..."  
"I'm serious! He's only 23, did you know that?" Yugi blushed: that was only seven years older than him! The age difference wasn't that big!

"Really?" Yugi asked, trying to hide his excitement.  
"Yeah," Jonouchi nodded, "He'll probably start sexually harassing his students or somethin'..."  
"H-he wouldn't do that!" Yugi exclaimed, his face red, "Don't judge him just because he's close in age with his students; you really should get to know him first!" Jonouchi stared at Yugi in surprise; he had not expected his friend to explode on him. Yugi looked away, "S-sorry. I don't know what came over me..." Jonouchi ruffled his friend's hair, "No problem, Yug. In fact, you're right. I shouldn't judge someone before gettin' to know 'em. My bad." He lifted his hand off Yugi's head and stepped away, "Well, time for Science for me. See ya later, Yug." Yugi waved goodbye to Jonouchi and stepped into his math class.

"Welcome back, Yugi." The deep voice came from Yugi's left and he turned, finding Mr. Sennen smiling at him. Yugi tried to keep from stammering as he felt his face grow hot. He swallowed then nodded with a smile, "Thank you, Mr. Sennen." The new teacher was holding a stack of papers, skimming through them, "Yugi, would you mind helping me pass these out? I'm new here and don't know anybody's names."  
"You know mine," Yugi said without thinking. He immediately regretted it, feeling stupid. However, Mr. Sennen only laughed, "Indeed I do. So, can you help?" Yugi looked at his feet in shame, taking the papers, "Uh-huh."

Yugi dropped his backpack by his seat and began to place papers on the appropriate desks as people filed into the class right before the bell rang. Yugi handed out the last paper and ran back to his seat as Mr. Sennen began to speak, "Good afternoon, students. As you can see, I'm not the teacher you're used to; I'm afraid Miss Keen is home sick. I do not know how bad it is nor how long she'll be gone, but you're going to have to deal with me until she's back." He flashed a smile, which brought forward giggles from various female students. Mr. Sennen glanced at his notes, "It says here that Miss Keen last left off teaching you how to use Substitution and Elimination to find a point..." It doesn't matter how hot you are a teacher: if you mention math, everyone will groan in despair, especially if you're Yugi Mutou.

Yugi didn't _just_ dislike math, he was bad at it; especially this particular section. Mr. Sennen continued on, telling the students that Miss Keen had only assigned the class to work on problems from the book. He pointed at a section on the board reading 'Page 298 #1-5, 10-12, 13-21 odds'. "I'll be walking around to help, if any of you need it," Mr. Sennen announced and thus began the vigorous work of the students. Yugi obviously needed help with his work, so he raised his hand. Unfortunately, almost every girl in the room had already raised theirs and were yelling, "Mr. Sennen! I need help!"  
"Yeah, me too! I need it so badly!"  
"This makes no sense! Mr. Sennen!"

Yugi Mutou found this whole ordeal laughable; all these girls crying for help knew how to do it; in fact, some of them had to help **him** before. Amidst all the squealing girls, Yugi knew he wouldn't be getting any help from Mr. Sennen inside of class.

Yugi stared at the book, scratching out work on a separate sheet of paper. Minutes passed, and Yugi still wasn't getting a correct answer. It wasn't long before the bell was ringing once again and everyone shuffled out, excited to go home, while Yugi still hadn't even gotten a single problem done. Yugi picked up his things and took a deep breath, approaching the new teacher. He smiled, "Hello, Yugi. What can I help you with?" Yugi shuffled his feet nervously, "Well, I, er... I-I'm having trouble with this section. Could I, maybe, stay after school or come before school or something to get help?" Mr. Sennen glanced at his calendar, "Hmm, I actually have a faculty meeting in a couple of minutes, but if you come before school tomorrow, I can help you." Yugi bowed, "Thank you very much, sir!"

He ran out the door, scanning the mass of students that was crowding the hallway. Thankfully, Yugi was short; thus, he was able to maneuver through the crowd with no problem. As he was almost out the door, he ran into a pair of legs. "Sorry!" he instinctively said, then realized he knew who it was.

The brunette blinked down in surprise, "Yugi?"  
"Anzu! Good afternoon," Yugi smiled, "Sorry for running into you."  
"No, Yugi; it's fine," she took his wrist, "Come on, let's get outside where there's more room." Yugi nodded. The two friends walked out of the building and the school gates, walking side-by-side down the sidewalk. "It's been a while since we've talked, huh, Yugi?" Anzu pointed out. Yugi nodded, remembering that he'd avoided talking to her after she started questioning his sexuality a couple days ago. Due to that, Yugi was weary, "Yeah; sorry. It's my fault, really." Anzu shook her head, "No one needs to take the blame."

The two walked in silence for a little before Anzu took a deep breath and spoke again, "Listen, Yugi, why don't we visit your grandfather's stop? It's been a while since we've visited him, right?" Yugi thought for a moment, knowing how mad his mom and dad would be if he came home late. However, he might get away without a punishment if he told them he was visiting grandpa... Yugi nodded, "Well, why not? Grandpa likes the company. I can imagine it gets lonely in that shop."

The small bell tinkled as Yugi pushed open the door and a voice called out, "Welcome!"  
Yugi and Anzu scanned the shop for the old man, only to find him dusting a shelf around the corner. "Ah, Yugi and Anzu. How nice of you to stop by. Do your parents know you're here, Yugi?" Yugi shook his head.  
Grandpa tsked, "That's no good. I'll go give them a quick call. You two wait here."

Yugi and Anzu walked out of the shop, only a few hours later, talking like old friends again. There were no awkward questions about Yugi's sexuality, thank goodness; Anzu seemed to have forgotten about that. Anzu glanced at her watch, "I better get home. I still have homework to finish."  
Yugi nodded, "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow, Anzu."  
She smiled, "Okay. Bye, Yugi, it was fun hanging out in your grandfather's shop with you!" Yugi watched her disappear around the corner before walking home; if he still had a crush on her, that last line would've made him melt.

Yugi's walk home was lonely, but he was grinning the whole way as Mr. Sennen arrived back in his mind. He hadn't a care in the world, and he found himself whistling happily as he walked through his front door, calling out, "Mom, Dad, I'm home—"  
Yugi's mom came dashing down the stairs, her hair a mess, and ran to Yugi, putting her hands on his shoulders, "Yugi! Where have you been?"

Yugi blinked in surprise, "Uh, I was at grandpa's shop."  
She let out a sigh of relief, "For two hours? I was worried sick when you didn't come home on time!"  
"Didn't grandpa call you?" Yugi asked, turning his head towards the kitchen, where the phone was located.  
"Oh," his mom wrinkled her brows in frustration, "Maybe that's who was calling." She released her hands, "I'm sorry, honey. I just… I don't know. You're lucky your father isn't home; he'd be furious, even though grandpa **did** call."

Yugi glanced around stiffly, forcing out the words, "Dad's not home?"  
His mom shook her head, "He left for a business trip this morning. He won't be back until Friday night."  
Yugi relaxed a little, "I see." His gaze shifted to the stairs, "I better go finish my homework, now." He ran up the stairs without waiting for an answer.

The door shut behind him and Yugi let out a large sigh of relief; the start of this week was promising already. He dropped his bag on the floor and stretched, wincing at the pain in his back. He rubbed it slowly, remembering solemnly when the bruise was inflicted upon him. It wouldn't be long before another one joined. Yugi shook his head, "_I shouldn't worry about it; he can't touch me where he is now._"

Yet another thing to make him smile: he, Yugi Mutou, would be untouched for the rest of the week.

* * *

Review! Tell me if this is worthy of a chapter two :P  
Oh, also! I got the idea of using "Sennen" as a last name from another author. I'm pretty sure it was LuvlyLady (who is an **amazing** authoress, by the way, so go read her stories), so I give her credit for the idea! xD


	2. Tutoring, Day One

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm **so** sorry this update took forever. D:  
I don't what came over me! Seriously! I guess a weird combination of school, easily distracted-ness, and procrastination can really make time fly before you realize: Holy crap, it's been almost two months! What the heck…  
I swear, it was completely unintentional… once I remembered to type this, I went into a typing rampage. Okay, from now on… I will strive to make updates come once a week! Let's see if I can do this!

Anyways, on a more serious note, I feel like I should put something: I never said Yugi was being raped.  
I know abusive fathers are something people actually deal with, and I feel that's bad enough as it is; I've also never typed about something like that, so I'm taking things slow….  
Just to clear things up.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own "Yu-Gi-Oh!" or any of the characters; I only own the story line and whatever OC's I put in.

Now read and (hopefully) enjoy!

* * *

Yugi ran down the stairs, brushing his teeth as he shoved papers into his backpack. His mom gave him quizzical stares as she put bread in the toaster, "You're ready early."  
"Quite the contrary, actually," he said, running into the kitchen to spit toothpaste in the sink in his rush to get ready. Yugi's mom frowned, "You do realize you have a bathroom, right? There's no need to spit in my kitchen sink."  
Yugi shook his head, "No time. I have to get to school early and my alarm never went off." It seems electrical appliances decide to plot against people whenever there's something important they need to do.

The toast popped up and Mrs. Mutou began to butter them patiently, "Why're you going early?"  
"I need help with my math, so I'm going to get help from my teacher."  
"Alright, take this toast with you to eat on the way."  
"Aw, mom, but I just brushed my teeth! It'll taste like toothpaste."  
The stern look of a mother can never be ignored, and Yugi knew it. He took the toast, "Fine."

The teenager stuffed the bread in his mouth, hopping on one foot at a time as he attempted to get his shoes on. He then took the toast out of his mouth long enough to yell a 'goodbye' at his mom, waited for her to repeat it back from the kitchen, and ran out the door.

"_Mom is happier than usual,_" Yugi thought as he ran down the sidewalk, "_She seemed more laid back._" He knew it was due to his father's absence and instantly wished he would leave on more business trips. A discouraging feeling arose in his stomach, for he knew that a week like this would probably never happen again. It wasn't as long of a break as he would've wished for, but at least it gave some of his wounds time to heal.

Being caught up in his thoughts, Yugi didn't even notice he had walked inside the school building. It was strange to him how empty the building seemed, but he liked being able to make his way to his math class without nearly being trampled every five seconds.

Yugi poked his head into the classroom, "Hello? Mr. Sennen?"  
The light had been left on, but the room was empty. Yugi bit his lip and took a step further in to look around more, but there was still no one in the room. "Oh, good morning, Yugi."  
The voice came from behind Yugi and made him jump, turning around quickly. He blushed when he realized it was Mr. Sennen.

"Sorry," the substitute apologized, chuckling slightly, "I didn't mean to frighten you."  
"No, i-it's not your fault," Yugi said quickly, his face still red.  
Mr. Sennen smiled, flipping through some papers in his hands, "Come on; you needed help with the homework, right?"  
I nodded, pushing the door open more and walking inside.

Mr. Sennen dropped the papers on his desk, organizing them quickly. Yugi put his backpack on a desk and pulled out the lined paper he had started his homework on, also pulling a math book out of nearby bookcase and sitting in a chair. He began flipping to the correct page, stealing a glance at the teacher. "_Why does he have to be so attractive?_" Yugi wondered, inwardly sighing, "_It's just not fair._"  
The teen then caught himself, "_Stop it, Yugi! Don't start crushing on your teacher; it'll make life __**really**__ difficult._" Yugi bit his lip, "_… Then again, there's nothing wrong with a small, harmless crush… right?_"

"Alright," Mr. Sennen moved from his desk and sat near Yugi, "so, do you need help with a specific problem or the topic in general?"  
"The topic in general."  
"Alright," Mr. Sennen pointed to a problem in the book, "we'll start with something easy…"

There seemed to be multiple factors plotting against Yugi in this situation. First off was the fact that it was about seven in the morning, when the majority of teenagers' brains are dead; Yugi was no exception. Second off was the fact that math was not his favorite subject. Third off was the fact that Yugi was slowly growing hungrier by the second. Fourth off, last of all, the person talking to Yugi was extremely attractive. Throughout the majority of the time, Yugi found himself imagining Mr. Sennen randomly whipping out a plate full of steaming hot bagels smothered in crème cheese, just for Yugi.

"… you see?" Yugi only caught the end of the substitute's sentence, blinking in confusion a few times, "Uh… what?"  
Mr. Sennen sighed with a slight smile, "You're still confused, aren't you?"  
Yugi nodded, "Yeah… sorry."  
"It's no problem," he responded, glancing at the clock, "unfortunately, though, first hour will be starting in about… seven minutes."  
Yugi looked at the clock in disbelief, wondering how on Earth the time could've flown by so fast, "Oh… so it seems."

Mr. Sennen and Yugi stood, the younger putting his things away before turning to talk with the teacher, "Would it be okay if I came in again tomorrow? I think I should be able to get it next time."  
Mr. Sennen nodded, "That's no problem."  
Yugi made a mental note to actually pay attention to math, not imaginary bagels, next time, "Thank you," he walked towards the door, "I'll see you seventh hour!"

Yugi let the door shut behind him before sighing, "_I really want some bagels now. I wonder what type of bagels Mr. Sennen eats?_" Yugi hadn't even noticed that sleepiness had affected his thinking, and he began to list various bagel brands in his mind. He began to walk down the hallway, deep in thought, as his friend Jonouchi spotted him. He ran to Yugi, catching up to his friend quickly, "Hey, Yugi!"  
Yugi jumped, yelling what he was thinking, "Sara Lee!" He turned to see his best friend, "Oh, hey, Jonouchi."  
"Uhm… do I wanna know what you're thinkin' about?"  
"That depends. Are you hungry?"  
"Always am."  
"Then no."  
"Any particular reason?"  
"If I tell you what I'm thinking about, you'll start craving it as well, then you'd be mad at me for mentioning the food and making you crave it."  
"Mm. Makes sense."

"Hey, there you two are!" Another voice joined in and the two teens turned, finding Honda and Anzu. Honda directed his attention to Yugi, "We were wondering where you were."  
Yugi laughed nervously, "Oh, did I forget to mention I went in for some math tutoring?"  
"Yeah, you might've left that out," Honda said.  
"Wait," Jonouchi added, "with that Mr. Sennen guy?"  
Yugi nodded, "Mhm."  
"Oh," Anzu smiled, "lucky you."

"Anzu!" Jonouchi said, upset.  
"What?" she responded, surprised and confused at the blonde's outburst.  
"Don't tell me you like the new teacher, too!"  
She rolled her eyes, "Relax, Jonouchi! There's no harm in thinking he's a little handsome."  
"Man, I don't get it! Why does everyone like him? He's only been here for a day!"  
Honda smirked, "You're just jealous that all the girls in the school are crushing on him instead of you."  
"Hey!" Jonouchi protested angrily, "Not true!"

As his friends continued laughing and making casual conversation, Yugi felt a little guilty. "_They're my friends; I really should tell them that I'm gay. They deserve to know that much, right? But… I don't know how they'll react._"  
"Hey, Yug; you alright?"  
Yugi smiled sincerely at his friends' worried faces, "Yeah. I'm fine!"

"_Soon,_" he decided. "_I'll tell them soon._"

* * *

Bah, why is this chapter so short? I didn't plan it that way, I promise!  
Well, at least you won't have to wait long for the next chapter; I'm almost done with it anyways. :P

I'm going to explain something now, so it's less confusing: I based Yugi's school schedule off of my own, kind of. My school runs on a seven-period schedule with 55-minute classes and 5-minute passing periods. School starts at 7:30 AM until 2:30 PM (unless you have A-hour, which goes from 6:30 AM to 7:25 AM, or an 8th hour, which goes from 2:35 PM to 3:30 PM). There are two lunches, 4th hour lunch and 5th hour lunch. I gave Yugi 5th hour lunch, 6th hour History, and 7th hour math. What about the rest of his schedule, you may ask? Yeahhhh I'm too lazy to give it to him. I might eventually, but it focuses mainly on math class xD

Mkay, so hope you enjoyed! Stories such as these have slow beginnings, so just stick with me!

Now, review and I'll see you in a week! :D


	3. Tutoring, Day Two

I love you people for reviewing! Seriously, you should know: every little review makes me feel all bubbly and warm inside! So, yeah. Just thought I'd let you know how much I love you all! You make my day ^-^  
And I updated in a week, just like I promised!

Anyways, I tried to make this chapter long...ish. I suppose I'm just not very good at making story chapters long. I'll have to work on that, but in the meantime, you get to read what I have so far! Yay for you! xD

And before you ask, yes; I _do_ love bagels.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own "Yu-Gi-Oh!" or any of the characters; I only own the story line and whatever OC's I put in.

Read and please enjoy! :3

* * *

"Hey mom, where are our bagels?" Yugi asked from the kitchen, his head in the fridge.  
"We don't have any," Mrs. Mutou called from the other room.  
Yugi sighed, muttering to himself, "Darn. I really wanted one." So, instead of eating a bagel like he wanted, Yugi had to settle with a gogurt.

Yugi's mom walked into the kitchen, smiling at Yugi, "You're up early again."  
"Yeah," he responded, struggling with the gogurt, trying to tear it open, "Math is confusing, so I'm going in for more help." He then proceeded to glare at the yogurt, "Stupid gogurt…"  
Mrs. Mutou laughed, holding out her hand, "Having trouble?"  
Yugi nodded, glaring at the tube in his hand. He tore at it once more time before dejectedly handing it to his mom, "I'm warning you, it's tough—" She tore it open with one swift try and handed it back.  
Yugi pouted, taking it, "… Thanks."  
She patted his head, "Hey, what are moms for?"

Yugi smiled, but it quickly faded; she wasn't like this when dad was around. Now, she seemed more carefree and mother-like. He glanced at his sleeve, knowing a bruise was located right under it. "_Is he as harsh with her as he is with me?_" He shook the thought away, hoping it wasn't so; he hadn't ever noticed, so that couldn't be it. Maybe, though… was she scared of her own husband?

Yugi saw the time on the clock out of the corner of his eye, his eyes widening, "Ah! I'm going to be late!" He ran to the front door and grabbed his shoes, his mother calmly watching him. "Yugi?"  
"Yeah, mom?"  
"Just wondering… when were you so interested in math?"

Yugi blushed, keeping his back to his mom as he tied his shoes, "Ah, u-uhm, well… I just thought I should get my grades up, a-and math is the only class I don't have an A in…"  
"_Plus I __**might**__ just happen to have a crush on the teacher,_" Yugi added in his mind, but figured it'd be better if he didn't say so to his mother.

Mrs. Mutou pulled her son into a hug, ruffling his hair, "You're such a great son!"  
Yugi stiffened a little, something that he tended to do now when people come into his personal space without warning. He didn't do it on purpose; it just seemed to happen, since there was one person who constantly came into his personal space without warning. But he wasn't doing it for hugs, nor was he praising Yugi as he did.

Yugi's mom didn't seem to notice the discomfort she brought to her son but pulled away anyways, smiling, "Why don't we go out to eat tonight?"  
Yugi blinked in surprise, "... Eh?"  
"We haven't gone out to eat in a long time, right?" she continued. It was true; Mr. Mutou believed eating out was a waste of time and money, plus, according to him, it was 'low-quality food'. "We seem to be running low on food, but your father won't be home in a few more days, so we can go out to eat! I'll go grocery shopping before he's home, so it'll be out little secret! How about it?"

Yugi thought about it a bit, slowly nodding his head, "Yeah... sounds good, mom."  
She grinned, "Great! Bonding time with my son!" she gave her son a quick one-armed hug before he sighed, "Mom, I really gotta go to school now."  
"Oh, right!" she laughed, releasing him, "Alright, good luck with your math tutoring!"

Yugi jogged out the door and down the sidewalk, holding his gogurt in one hand. "_Oh, I should probably finish this..._" He quickly swallowed the remains of the yogurt before entering the main school building, discarding the wrapper in a trashcan. He was walking by the teacher's lounge, when he caught sight of a familiar, spiky-haired teacher through the window. "_Ah, it's Mr. Sennen! I should wait here for him._" So Yugi did, leaning against the wall by the door, whistling Steamboat Willie to himself.

"One hundred eight... one hundred nine... one hundred ten..." the substitute walked out of the lounge with a large stack of paper, stopping his counting at the sound of the whistling and turned his head, smirking at the sight of his student, "Well, good morning, Yugi." Yugi smiled at the teacher shyly, "Oh, u-uh, good morning, Mr. Sennen!"  
"Were you waiting out here for me?" the teacher asked.  
Yugi nodded, "Y-yeah, I saw you in the teacher's lounge and thought I'd might as well wait..." he eyed the papers in Mr. Sennen's hands, "Do you need help carrying those?"

Mr. Sennen smiled, "That's very nice of you to offer, Yugi. Thank you." Yugi took about half the pile from the math substitute and walked down the hallway by his side, looking at the papers, "Aw man, we're having a **test** on this section?"  
Mr. Sennen laughed, "Whoops. You weren't supposed to see that. Don't tell anyone, alright? It said in the teacher's notes that this is a surprise test."  
Yugi smiled up at the substitute, "I won't tell anyone, sir."  
He winked back, "Then it's our little secret."

Yugi's face grew a soft red and he held the papers closer to him. "_Ah, Yugi! Stop blushing, he's gonna notice!_" Luckily for the teen, the teacher had turned to open the door to the classroom and didn't see the student blushing. Mr. Sennen held open the door for Yugi, "There you go."  
Yugi stepped in quickly, dropping his backpack by a desk before turning back to the teacher, "Where do you want these?"  
"Hmm, just anywhere on the desk should be fine."

Yugi dropped the papers in a neat pile on the teacher's desk, noticing a letter also on the desk. It wouldn't have caught his attention if it didn't have a large, red heart on the front. Yugi's heart sank, "_Why didn't I think of it before? Mr. Sennen must have a girlfriend. Someone as handsome as him... geez. I'm so stupid._"

Mr. Sennen stacked his papers on Yugi's, "Something wrong, Yugi?"  
Yugi blinked, "Oh, uhm, no! Everything's fine, Mr. Sennen!" The lie came easy and Yugi left the desk, walking to his backpack to get out his math. He nonchalantly glanced over his shoulder to see the teacher, looking at the letter in confusion. He picked it up and turned it over, raising his eyebrows. The corner of his mouth curved up and he chuckled. He looked up, making eye contact with Yugi, and held the letter up, "It seems Miss Keen has a secret admirer."

Yugi's eyes widened and he walked back to the desk quickly, seeing the writing on the back of the envelope: _To Mrs. Keen_.  
Yugi laughed, "Well, she'll sure be surprised when she comes back!"  
Mr. Sennen chuckled, "I know **I** would."  
"I wonder who it could be," Yugi said, "I know it's none of my business, but one can't help but wonder, you know?"  
"I know how you feel," Mr. Sennen opened a drawer and placed the envelope inside and closed it, "so, to resist temptation, I'll put it away. Out of sight, out of mind."  
"If only that were true with crushes." Yugi sighed.

Mr. Sennen blinked a few times, giving the student a funny look. Then, something dawned on Yugi, "Uhm..." his face slowly grew red, "D-did I say that out loud?"  
The teacher nodded. Yugi turned around quickly, avoiding the teacher's eyes, and sat down in a desk, glancing down at his math as his face slowly grew redder, "U-uhm, s-so I still need help with this..."

"_Calm down Yugi, calm down! I mean, you didn't mention that it was Mr. Sennen who was your crush, did you? Oh, crap! Did I say **that** out loud?_" Yugi glanced up quickly, finding that Mr. Sennen hadn't reacted. "_Okay, I didn't. Phew._"  
The substitute sat down near Yugi, pointing at the paper as if nothing had happened, "Okay, so here we're solving the equations using substitution. One equation is x plus three y equals negative twenty-eight, and the other is y equals negative five x. You see, since the second equation is x equals, you can substitute in what x equals into the first equation. So, the equation changes to negative five x plus three times negative five x equals negative twenty-eight. Since there are common factors, the x's, you can solve it. Do you understand?"

Yugi looked at the paper, seeing what Mr. Sennen was saying, "Ohh... yeah, that makes sense." Yugi quickly solved the first equation, coming up with y equals negative 10. "Now," Mr. Sennen continued, "you have what y equals, and you can plug that in to either equation to get your x." Yugi thought the second equation would be easier and quickly got the answer, x equals 2. "So, the answer is two, negative ten?"  
Mr. Sennen nodded, "Yep. But, don't forget to put your answer in parathesis, since they're coordinates." He waited patiently as Yugi did so, then pointed to a similar question, "Well done. Now, try this one."

It was silent between the two for a minute, until Yugi was done. "Uhm, I got two equals three for this one... did I do it wrong?"  
"Nope," the teacher said, "you did everything correctly. You see, since this doesn't work out, it has no solution."  
Yugi nodded, "Alright, I get it."  
"Now," Mr. Sennen continued, "There's one more kind of problem I want you to try."  
He pointed to a third problem and Yugi looked at it, confused. One equation was x minus five y equals 7, and the other was two x minus y equals fourteen. "This one doesn't have any x equals or y equals for me to substitute..."

"Exactly," the teacher said, "so, what do you have to do to get a variable by itself?"  
Yugi bit his lip, "Mmm... oh! I know! For the first equation, I can add five y to both sides to get what x equals. So, x equals five y plus 7, and I can substitute that into the other problem. Right?"  
Mr. Sennen smiled, "You catch on fast, Yugi."  
Yugi blushed, "Th-thanks..."

Mr. Sennen flipped over the paper, pointing to the elimination section. "Do you need help with elimination as well?"  
"Well," Yugi began, "I get that, to cancel out one variable, you need them to have the same number but different signs, like one positive and one negative, but some of them don't have the same number. Like, this equation has negative three x and two y, yet the other has just x and y."  
Mr. Sennen looked at the equation, "Yes, so you need to times the entire equation by a number to get two of the variables the same. So, if you times the second equation by negative 2, you have positive two y in one equation and negative two y in the other, so they cancel out."  
"Oh, okay! I get it now!"

The math substitute glanced up at the clock, "Well, it seems time flew once again."  
Yugi looked up, nodding in agreement. The teenager stood up, picking up his backpack and math sheet, smiling at Mr. Sennen, "Thank you so much for the help, sir!"  
Mr. Sennen smiled, "It was my pleasure, Yugi."

As Yugi opened the door, Mr. Sennen spoke again, "Oh, and Yugi?"  
Yugi paused, looking over his shoulder, "Yes?"  
"You seemed very embarassed earlier when you mentioned a crush."  
Yugi blushed, "O-oh. U-uhm... I-I..."  
"You shouldn't be. A crush is perfectly healthy. Am I right?"  
Yugi smiled, nodding, "Yeah. I guess it is. Thank you, Mr. Sennen."

He headed off to his first class with a large smile on his face.

* * *

... And that's a good stopping point for now! x3 This chapter actually turned out a little longer than expected... Yay! Hopefully the chapters keep getting longer. x3

Uhm, I'm sorry for focusing five paragraphs all on math, but I needed Mr. Sennen to teach Yugi, so it wasn't just like "and magically Yugi knows how to do this! Even though Mr. Sennen said absoultely **nothing**!"... So yeah. Let's just say that... uhm... it proves Mr. Sennen is _smart_! And that makes Yugi like him _more_! Yeah, I dunno... xD  
By the way, it's super hard describing how to do math. One job I will never have: online math teaching. Or any teaching in general.

Anyways, please review and I'll see you in a week!


	4. Confessions, Mustard and Reservations

I must apologize for not updating last week; I didn't even start typing the chapter until Wednesday so it wasn't done by Thursday, then my friend came over Friday after school until about 9 PM... SO, I'm updating **now**, then you get another chapter on Thursday as scheduled (hopefully) xP

ANYWAYS! Have I mentioned how much I love you all for reviewing and sticking with me through this slow story? xD I'm a very impatient person at times, so my stories are normally super fast. This story is super slow compared to my other ones. Yeah. You guys rock so much :D

**Disclaimer:** I do not own "Yu-Gi-Oh!" or any of the characters; I only own the story line and whatever OC's I put in.

By the way, can I just say that third person is hard to type in?

I'm so used to first person. Bah. xP

Okay, read and please enjoy~ :D

* * *

Jounouchi grinned, holding out his hands, "Please?"  
Honda glared at the blonde, "Back off, man, this is **my** cookie."  
"Come on, Honda! I'm hungry! Have a heart!"  
"No! Starve for all I care!"

Yugi watched, highly amused, as two of his friends fought over a snickerdoodle. Surprisingly enough, the two didn't seem to be drawing any attention to themselves from other students. "_Well, this **is** normal for them,_" Yugi thought, "_I suppose everyone else has gotten used to it as well._"  
"Give it here!"  
"Over my dead body!"  
"Well, if you insist..."  
Anzu sighed, putting her hand against her forehead, "You two are the biggest idiots I have ever met."

Yugi chuckled at his friends and looked down, poking at his food with a spork. _"Jounouchi and Honda fight constantly... I have to say, they're like an old married couple. Well, except they're not old... nor are they married... and they're not a couple, either. Man, I'm bad at metaphors._" He glanced up at his friends again, seeing that they hadn't changed in their cookie battle. "_It's nice, though, that they can fight like this and stay good friends. I wonder... I wonder if they'll still be my friend, even if I tell them I'm gay?_" Yugi had been contemplating on telling his friends after tutoring with Mr. Sennen...  
"Hey, Yugi?" Yugi turned his head, seeing Anzu's concerned eyes.  
"Are you okay?"  
Yugi laughed nervously, "Oh, yeah, yeah! I was just... uhm..." he saw his spork out of the corner of his eye, "I was just trying to figure out if sporks are failed forks or awesome spoons, is all!"

After that comment, all three of his friends stopped what they were doing and stared at him.  
"Uhm... Yugi?" Honda began.  
"Are you okay?" Anzu finished.  
"Yeah, I'm fine," Yugi smiled, "Why?"  
Jounouchi sat down by Yugi, putting his arm around his friend's shoulder, "We all know that you act weird when you're nervous."

Yugi sighed, "Alright, yeah, so I'm a _bit_ nervous."  
Jou removed his arm, smirking, "Well? What about?"  
"It was actually about something I wanted to talk to you guys about..." Yugi began slowly, biting his lip.  
"Yeah?" Honda prompted, "What is it?"  
Yugi took a deep breath, letting all the words slip out of his mouth, "I... I'm gay."

Yugi stared at the ground, too worried to say anything. He was expecting everyone to be too disgusted or upset to say anything, but then someone laughed.  
"Is that all?" Jounouchi asked, "You really had me worried there! For a second, I thought you had some kind of life-threatening disease or somethin'..."  
Yugi looked up, "Y-you're really okay with it?"  
"Of course," Honda spoke up, "you're our friend, aren't you? Nothing you do will ever make us look at you differently."  
Anzu grinned at me, "Yeah, Yugi! You're still our friend; we'll support you in whatever you do."  
"Unless," Jounouchi began, "you decide to commit suicide or something. Sorry, bud, but we won't support you there. In fact, we'd tie you to a chair and make sure you stay alive and..."  
Honda had to smack Jounouchi to get him to stop talking.

Anzu tugged on Yugi's arm, "So, is there any reason you went gay?"  
Yugi blinked, "What... do you mean?"  
"I mean, did you go gay for anyone?"  
"Oh, no, not really," Yugi scratched the back of his head, laughing, not expecting the conversation to be so awkward, "I just kinda noticed one day that I wasn't attracted to girls, but was to guys..."  
Jounouchi put his hand to his chin in thought, "Well then... is there someone you have a _crush_ on right now?"  
Yugi blushed, "U-uhm, well... yes, but I... I kinda don't want to say..."  
Jou ruffled his friend's hair, "Alright, alright, we won't force it out of you."  
"Really?" Yugi exhaled in relief, "Okay, good."

"Now," Jounouchi began, clasping his hands together as he turned to Honda with an evil glint in his eyes, "Where were we?"  
Honda held the cookie out, "You want it? That'll be five dollars."  
"Hey!" Jou argued, "Rip off!"  
Yugi laughed at the two, feeling about ten times more relaxed than before. "_It sure was nice to get that off of my chest! I'm glad that my friends understand; if I told my dad, for instance... well, all Hell would break loose._" That was not something Yugi wanted to happen.

Anzu slammed her hands down on the table, stomping over to Jounouchi and Honda abruptly. She yanked the snickerdoodle out of Honda's hand, tore it in half, and shoved the pieces into both of the teens' hands. "Eat your dang cookie and if I hear you fight again, I'll kick you **both** into next week. Understood?"  
Honda ate silently, but Jounouchi practically inhaled the food, talking to Yugi with his mouth full, "Say, Yug; wanna come over tonight? I got a new video game yesterday."  
"Sounds like fun, Jou, but I'm going out to eat tonight with my mom."  
Anzu smiled, "Oh, really? Tell her I said hi!"  
Yugi nodded, "Will do."

Honda hit Jounouchi's arm, "Besides, you have an essay due tomorrow. You should work on that and give Yugi a break at beating you at video games."  
The two were about to yell at each other again and Yugi checked his watch, seeing they had about ten minutes until the bell would ring. He pulled out his binder to double check he had finished his History homework, only to realize it had gone missing. Yugi's eyes widened and he began to go through every paper, looking for it. "Oh no oh no oh no..." he muttered.  
"Something wrong?" Jounouchi asked.  
"I can't find my History homework! And it's due next hour!"  
"You must've dropped it somewhere. Maybe one of the times you opened your binder."  
"Well," Yugi began, thinking it through in his head, "I've opened my binder in every class... That's just great."  
"Go look for it, then!" Jounouchi said, "If ya hurry, you can find it! Here, I'll come with..."  
Yugi frowned, "Thanks, but you're not allowed in any of the classrooms during lunch anymore, remember?"  
Jou pouted, "Okay, so you throw salad in a teacher's face **once** and they never trust you again..."

Yugi stood from his seat and grabbed his backpack, "Alright, guys, I'll see you later! Bye, Jou, Honda, Anzu!"  
He ran from each classroom, asking the teacher if they saw his worksheet and, if they hadn't, if he could look for it.  
After four classrooms and no luck, Yugi stopped to think again. He looked at his watch, "_Great. Two minutes left until the passing period. I can't** not** turn in my homework; I'm on the border of an A and a B in that class! Dad will be pissed if I don't have straight A's, and there's no other classrooms I could look in-!_" Something then dawned on him. His eyes widened, "_Oh yeah! The tutoring! Maybe I dropped it in the math class!_" He turned and jogged down the hallway (students got in trouble if they ran), opening the door to the math classroom quickly. He found Mr. Sennen at the desk, in the middle of eating a subway sandwich.

He put it down, "Yugi? Something wrong?"  
Yugi blinked, "How'd you know something's wrong?"  
"You seem panicked."  
The teen sighed, "Yeah, I am. I lost my History homework and I was wondering if I maybe dropped it in here. Have you seen it?"  
Mr. Sennen opened the top drawer of the desk and shuffled through some papers, pulling out one and holding it out, "Is this it?"  
Yugi ran to the desk to see and recognized the worksheet. He took it, "Ah, yes! Thank you so much!" He was practically beaming with happiness.  
Mr. Sennen looked at his student, letting out a brief laugh and a smile.  
Yugi shoved the paper away and noticed the staring teacher. He blushed, "Why're you looking at me like that?"  
"You seem very happy."  
"Yeah, well, now I-I won't get in trouble with my dad for bad grades."  
"That's good," he nodded, "I like seeing you happy."

Mr. Sennen didn't seem to notice that his comment made Yugi smile shyly. He instead stared at his sandwich with a frown, "I really don't think I can finish this before the bell rings."  
"You have a minute left. Just shove it all in your mouth at once," Yugi joked.  
Mr. Sennen rolled his eyes, "Yeah, then everyone can record me as I choke and post it on youtube. That sounds like _oodles_ of fun."  
Yugi laughed, trying to not be too loud. Mr. Sennen gave him a funny look and Yugi smiled, "Sorry, but... that was pretty funny."  
The teacher chuckled, "Why thank you. Didn't know I was so funny." He then tore off about half of the sandwich, holding it out, "Come on, Yugi; help me finish this."  
"I couldn't," Yugi held his hands up, shaking his head, "it's your lunch..."  
"Trust me, I can't finish this alone. Please? I promise it's not poisoned, see?" He took a bite of one half, still holding out the other to me.  
Yugi opened his mouth to refuse only to be interrupted by his growling stomach. "_Oh, that's right. I was so nervous about telling my friends that I didn't start eating until the end of lunch and never got to finish, then I had to go find my homework..._"  
He took the other half, "Alright, alright."

Yugi smirked at the sandwich, "Hah. I bet I can eat this faster than you."  
Mr. Sennen looked up, a mischeivious look in his eye, "Oh? I beg to differ, Yugi Mutou."  
"Shall we see, then?" Yugi challenged.  
"We shall," the substitute agreed. "Ready? Set? Go!"  
The two ate as quick as they could, the sandwich gone in less than a minute.  
"Done!" the two called out in unison, blinking a few times before laughing.  
"I so won that," Yugi giggled.  
"There's no way you beat me!" Mr. Sennen protested with a grin.

The bell let out a ring, telling students to get to their next classes. The sound of the door opening cut off their laughs and they turned, seeing a few students walk in. They looked back at each other and laughed again, the new-coming students exchanging confused looks at the inside joke they apparantly missed.  
"Alright, alright," Mr. Sennen laughed, waving his hand at Yugi, "Go on and get to your next class before the bell rings, or else you'll be tardy."  
Yugi nodded, "Okay, but you might want to wipe off the mustard on your chin first."  
"Same to you; there's some on your cheek."  
Yugi picked up his bag, wiping off the mustard with a laugh, "I'll be back next hour."  
Mr. Sennen waved Yugi out the door, "See you then."

Yugi strolled to his History class, whistling happily. He took his seat by Jounouchi, beaming.  
"You seem happy," his friend commented, "I take it you found your worksheet."  
"Yeah," Yugi rested his head on his hand, "I sure did."

* * *

"Come on, Yugi! The coast is clear!" Mrs. Mutou stood on the sidewalk with her son, glancing across the street.  
Yugi bit his lip, "Uhm, wouldn't that be jaywalking?"  
"Yeah, so?"  
"I'm pretty sure there's a law against that."  
Yugi's mom rolled her eyes, "Oh, don't be such a goodie-two-shoes! Come on!" She hooked her arm with his and tugged him across the street before any cars could come.  
"Alright!" exclaimed Yugi's mom, "Let's go in. I made reservations earlier today, just in case."

The host looked up as they walked in, "Good evening, how may I help you?"  
Mrs. Mutou put her index and middle finger up, "Reservation for two, please."  
"Yes. Your name?"  
"Mutou. Sara Mutou."  
The host scanned something, nodding, "Ah, here you are. One children's menu?"  
"_And that would be about the seventyith time I've been mistaken for a kid,_" Yugi thought with a frown, but his mom laughed, "No, no; my boy is sixteen now! Two adult menus, please."  
"Of course, ma'am. Follow me."

The two let him lead them their table, weaving in and out of other people. As they walked deeper into the restraunt, Yugi noticed a pair sitting at a nearby table, a few tables away from the bathroom.  
Yugi did a quick double take, his eyebrows raising. There was a man and a woman; the girl had wavy brown hair and was chatting away happily, but she's not what caught Yugi's attention: it was the man with the spiky hair and crimson eyes.

"_What is Mr. Sennen doing here?_" Yugi wondered, "_Does he have... a girlfriend?_"

* * *

I'm evil for stopping here... hee hee hee.

Well, not really, since I think it's kinda obvious what's going to happen. ... Maybe. OH and please excuse any grammar errors I missed; it's getting late and I'm tired D:

Okay, I have a side note on two things! 1) I have no idea what Yugi's mom's name is. Isn't she only in like, one episode anyways? xD and 2) The sandwich-eating contest sounds like something my Chemistry teacher would do in our class. No joke. That class rocks; I once took a bite of my peanut butter and honey sandwich and it then was shaped like Idaho, so I showed my friends and we showed our teacher. He told me that I should sell it online. I didn't though. I ate it (I was hungry! xD)

Hmm, is it weird that I was listening to Disney songs while typing this? Now I have "Kiss the Girl" from The Little Mermaid stuck in my head. (Hah. I almost put "kill" instead of "kiss". That's how smart I am! xD)

BY THE WAY this is my longest chapter so far x3 Whoot!

Moving on from those random note, hope you enjoyed. I tried to make this chapter extra long-ish... please review? :D


	5. The Dinner

I'm back once again, my marvelous readers! x3 Your reviews make me so happy :) Seriously, my day can be crap, and then I see these reviews... BAM! My day gets instantly better. So, thank you :D  
As a reward, you get a new chapter! Whoooot! Thank goodness for no-homework days so I can have maximum typing time and actually update on schedule.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own "Yu-Gi-Oh!" or any of the characters; I only own the story line and whatever OC's I put in.

Alright, I think that's all... so, read and please enjoy!

* * *

Mrs. Mutou scanned through the menu, "Hmm, what looks good to you, Yugi?"  
Yugi shrugged, "Not sure yet..." he stole a glance in the general direction of the bathrooms. Or, more specifically, the location of Mr. Sennen's table.  
"Okay, well, I'm deciding between..." Yugi droned out his mom's voice; not on purpose, really, but he was trying to see if he could develop super-sonic hearing so he would know what Mr. Sennen and the girl were talking about. Yugi wasn't trying to evesdrop; he only wanted to know if she was really Mr. Sennen's girlfriend. Unfortunately, Yugi was not developing hearing any better than he already had.  
"... So, what do you think?" Sara finished asking her son, waiting for an answer.  
Yugi looked back at his mom, "Huh? Oh... yeah, that sounds fine."  
She sighed, "I was actually asking you which three of these dishes sounds the best, but... are you okay, Yugi?"  
He smiled, "Yeah, I'm fine!" He took one look at his menu and pointed to something random, "I know what I want now. What about you?"

Yugi's mom shot her only son a funny stare before looking back at the menu, "Right... I think I'll choose... the barbeque sandwich they have." She looked up, "Now, where is that waiter?"  
Yugi glanced back at Mr. Sennen, seeing the brunette girl chattering away. The math teacher nodded every once in a while, probably to show he was listening.  
"... Yugi?" the voice of his mom, once again, summoned his attention. The teen turned, now noticing the waiter.  
"May I have your order, sir?" the worker asked politely.  
"Right," Yugi said, taking a look at the menu again, "I'll have the... chicken alfredo pizza."

The next half hour went by agonizingly slow for Yugi Mutou. He would steal a casual glance every now and then at his crush, furring his eyebrow in frustration. "_Why couldn't that be **me**, instead of her... whoever she is?_" The thought constantly ran through his mind and he found himself chewing on his drink's straw to try to calm his uneasiness.  
He didn't realize that this uneasiness was jealousy.

The drink and straw was pulled away from Yugi suddenly, extracting a whine of protest from the teenager. "Mom!" he whined, "I was drinking that."  
"No," she replied, "You were murdering the straw with your teeth. I haven't seen you act this way since that friend of yours caught the attention of that girl you liked. You chewed the pants off of your bendy straw in jealousy."  
"I'm not jealous!" Yugi snapped. He then leaned back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest with a pout, "Besides, straws don't wear pants."  
Mrs. Mutou laughed, "Calm down, Yugi!" She leaned closer, whispering, "So, what girl do you have a crush on **now**?"  
Yugi shrugged, "No one." It was true, really; he **didn't** have a crush on a girl.  
She let out a whistle, "Alright, whatever you say!"

Yugi glanced again at Mr. Sennen, noting how he looked tired. Yugi wasn't sure if Mr. Sennen had spoken a single time he'd been there; the girl's mouth never stopped moving!  
"Alright, the barbeque sandwich for you, and the chicken alfredo pizza for you." The waiter's voice made Yugi turn, finding his dinner waiting for him. "Is there anything else you need?"  
Yugi's mom nodded, "Yes," she held up Yugi's cup, "Can you get my son a new straw?"  
An annoyed Yugi swiped back his drink, shooting his mom an 'I-am-not-amused' face. She grinned at him in response.

Yugi took a large bite of his pizza, sighing. "_Just focus on eating, Yugi. Don't get distracted again..._" He only lasted a good five minutes before he couldn't help but look again.  
This time, though, what he saw was a little different.  
The girl sitting with Mr. Sennen was taking Mr. Sennen's hands in hers, smiling. Mr. Sennen's eyebrows furred together and he pulled away awkwardly, finally talking. Yugi couldn't hear a bit of it, but when he stopped talking the girl's smile vanished. She slammed her hands down on the table, stood up, and grabbed her drink, then proceeded to dump it on the teacher's head. She glared at him and said something, which Yugi also couldn't hear, grabbed her jacket, and stormed off, leaving a very confused looking Mr. Sennen.

Yugi's eyes widened and he turned to his mom, "Hey, uh, I'm going to use the bathroom, okay?"  
She nodded, attempting to shove the giant-sized sandwich into her petite mouth, "Alright."  
Yugi took a handful of napkins and proceeded in the direction of the bathroom, only to take a right at the last second until he was standing by Mr. Sennen. He held out the napkins, "Here, sir. I think you need these."  
The substitute blinked in surprise and looked up, "Yugi? What're you doing here?"  
Yugi shrugged, "A-am I not allowed to go out to eat in a public restraunt?"  
Mr. Sennen chuckled, "Sorry. I just wasn't expecting to run into you outside of school." He took the napkins, "Thanks."  
Yugi smiled, "You're welcome. May I... take a seat?"  
The teacher nodded, "Go ahead."

"Uhm, Mr. Sennen?" Yugi began awkwardly, wondering how to ask.  
The young teacher snorted, "Mr. Sennen. That makes me sound so old."  
Yugi blew some of his bangs out of his eyes, "I don't really know what else to call you... sir."  
"Yami. It's my first name and I hate when people speak so formally outside of school." He began squeasing the drink out of his hair.  
Yugi blushed, "Y-Yami? A-are you sure you want your student calling you by your first name?"  
The teacher only shrugged, "We're not in school. Unless... it bothers you." He looked at Yugi, waiting for an answer.  
Yugi shook his head, "No, it's fine."

A silence extended between the two for a good minute before Yugi worked up the courage to speak again, "S-so, Yami... if you don't mind me asking... what did you do that made that girl so mad?"  
"Hmm?" Yami was dabbing off his shirt, "Oh, her. Well, she seemed to really like me, but wasn't exactly what I would call **happy** when I told her I wasn't... _interested_ in girls."  
It took a little bit of time before Yugi saw what he was saying, "Uhm... are you sure you should've told me that?"  
"Well you asked."  
"I know, but... I dunno, what if I tell someone and suddenly the whole school knows?"  
He shrugged, "I don't know, Yugi. I just feel like I can trust you. You know?"  
Yugi smiled, blushing slightly, "Well, that question was hypothetical anyways. Your secret's safe with me."  
"Thank you."

Yugi bit his lip for a second, a question coming to his mind. "Uhm... if you're not interested in girls, why were you on a date with one?"  
Yami held up two fingers, "Two words, Yugi. Two words to beware: Blind. Date."  
A laugh escaped Yugi's lips, "I suppose they don't really work out like in movies, huh?"  
Yami rested his chin on his palm, smiling, "Guess not."

Yugi looked back at his mom at their table, "I should probably get back to my mom. I told her I was going to the bathroom."  
"Oh, Yugi," Yami tsked, "Don't lie to your mother like that."  
"I know, I know... I won't make a habit out of it." He stood and smoothed out the wrinkles in his pants, "See you later, Mr. Sen- er, Yami."  
Yami Sennen smiled, "Good bye, Yugi. Thanks for coming to talk to me. It made this night a whole lot better."  
Yugi blushed and began to walk away, then getting an idea. He turned back, "For the record, I'm not interested in girls either." He then winked, smiled sweetly, and walked away. This time, it was the teacher's turn to blush.  
But Yugi didn't notice.

Waiting until he was back at the table, Yugi took a seat and let his head fall against the table with a bang. "Yugi?" his mom questioned, peering across the table at her son. He ignored her, groaning in embarassment. "_Why did I say that? Why why why! I mean, I pretty much just admitted I was gay to Mr. Sennen! Well, he is, too... unless I mistook what he said. Oh no! Maybe he meant something different! Not sure what, but... ah! But, even just saying **that** would've been okay, but why did I have to wink? What was running through my head? Why me! I'm so embarrassed, I can never show my face again! I'm wearing a paperbag to school tomorrow..._" He felt his face was hotter than ever and he put his hands over his firey ears. He turned his head a little to see if Yami was still at the table or if he had left and found the teacher walking through the restraunt, heading for the door. He passed by Yugi's table and waved, smiling.  
Yugi sent back a petite wave and turned back to his food, trying to stop his face from growing red again.

* * *

I am guilty of thinking about Olive Garden's chicken alfredo pizza while typing this. Curse you, constant hunger pains! I can never seem to stay full from noon until dinner anymore xP So, yeah that explains why I made Yugi order it.  
... Aw, crap. Now I reallllly want breadsticks from Olive Garden D: What is it with me and food cravings? First bagels, then pizza/breadsticks? What is this, I don't even...

Have any of you ever been that embarrassed before? I mean, where you feel your face growing red and your ears feel like they're on fire? It happened to me in dance class a day or so ago; we just learned like four counts so I did them really fast, and my dance teacher goes, "Whoo, Tora*!" (she jokes around a lot like this with her students) and everyone turned to look at me (I stand near the back for a reason... xD). I thought my ears were gonna literally burst into flames. It was embarrassing, but I'm sure I'll laugh over it in a day or two.

ANYWHATNOT please review. :3

*Tora is obviously not my real name, but you know. :P


	6. Bad Luck

I'm sorry this chapter is super short! I'm surprised I got to update at all this week! Let me explain why.

So, I had a piece of History homework assigned back on the eighteenth of this month and procrastinated on it until this Monday. It was due Tuesday. Plus, I have English homework due tomorrow that requires at least two hours of work put into it. Also, I have a Seminary project due next Monday that we received at the beginning of this semester but I _completely forgot about it_. AND THEN, I have a dance concert this week tonight and tomorrow night starting at seven (we have to be there at six), and we had dress rehearsals Tuesday and Wednesday after school until six.  
I finished my History and English homework Monday (thank goodness!), but still have my Seminary project. Well, luckily, I still had time to type, since I didn't start this chapter until Tuesday.  
And so the consequences of procrastination show themselves again…

WELL enough of my ranting about my busy life! Here's your chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own "Yu-Gi-Oh!" or any of the characters; I only own the story line and whatever OC's I put in.

Enjoy!

* * *

Yugi Mutou knew his day wasn't going to be a good one from the day he woke up. It was just one of those days where your internal alarm clock wakes you up, but you don't remember hearing your alarm, so you just go back to sleep. After waking up for the third time, Yugi rubbed his eyes and glanced at the clock. Picking it up in his hands, his eyes widened at the time. 7:10 AM. School started in twenty minutes. "Oh **crap**!" He yanked his sheets off his legs and jumped out of bed, tripping over his own feet on the way to the closet.

About five minutes later, Yugi was hopping down the stairs, slipping on his shoes as he grabbed his homework and shoved it in his bag. His mom was in the kitchen, unloading the dishwasher as she watched him, "You okay there, Yugi?"  
"No. Late. Very very late." His ability to formulate proper sentances seemed to disappear during times of stress. He threw open the door, "Love you, bye!" And thus he began to sprint down the sidewalk to school.  
"_Stupid alarm clock... it was working just fine yesterday. Maybe I forgot to set it last night? But I could've sworn I set it!_" He shook his head, "_There's no use dwelling on it, I guess; I should focus on getting to school before the bell rings._"

The school campus was in sight now. Yugi glanced at his watch, seeing he had three minutes until the bell rings. "_Okay, I can do this. I can make it._" If he just kept running, he would make it to his first class with perfect timing, maybe even a few seconds to spare.  
He ran into the building, dashed around a corner, and glanced again at his watch. "_I'm going to make it! Take** that**, alarm clock of mine! You can't force me to become tarty!_" Only after that thought did he trip.

Yugi watched the contents of his backpack fly in all directions, leaving a mess in the hallway. "Oh, for the love of..." the teen muttered, scooping up as many papers as he could and shoving them back in his backpack. To add to his luck, the bell rang. Yugi jumped up, backpack in hand, and ran to his classroom. The teacher gave him a disapproving look, "Yugi Mutou, you're tardy."  
"I'm sorry, my alarm never went off and so I ran to school, then just now I tripped and-"  
"Give as many excuses as you'd like," the teacher interrupted, "but it doesn't change the fact that you're late. Now please take your seat."  
Yugi zipped up his backpack, "Yes, ma'am..."  
He continued to his seat, sighing, "_I have a feeling today's going to be a long day._"

* * *

Yugi sat in his fourth hour class, study hall, scribbling down on a piece of paper quickly. Jounouchi Katsuya sat next to him, half asleep, watching his friend with interest. "You know," he began, "you can just have my history homework. Erase my name and put yours; I could care less."  
Yugi glared, "No! I'm not cheating."  
Jou shrugged, "Well, whatever. Your choice I guess."

The two sat in silence as Yugi began re-doing his seventh hour's homework. "Just out of curiosity," Jounouchi began, "What happened to your homework?"  
"I lost it when I tripped on my way to first hour."  
"And why, exactly, did you trip?"  
"I was running."  
"Because?"  
"I was late. My alarm clock never went off."

Jounouchi chuckled, "Wow. You have bad luck."  
Yugi looked up, "Oh, you think **that's** bad? On my way to second hour, I lost my lunch money."  
"Well... Anzu, Honda and I will share our lunch with you."  
"Then after second hour, I accidentally tripped into someone. He grabbed me by the shirt and told me that if I ran into him again, I'd regret it."  
Jou narrowed his eyes, "Who was this, Yug? I'll take care of him for ya."  
"Jounouchi! That won't solve anything!" He continued with his homework, "Besides, I don't know his name and I doubt I'll ever see him again." Jounouchi proceeded to mutter angrily under his breath, but let the topic go anyways.

"Oh, Jounouchi?" Yugi began again.  
"Yeah?"  
"Can you come to the lost and found with me during lunch next hour?"  
Jou shrugged, "Yeah... why?"  
"I lost my ID card after bumping into that guy who threatened me."  
"... Today is really **not** your day, Yug."

* * *

By the time sixth hour was over, Yugi was tired of his lack of luck. He just wanted to go home, plop down on his bed, and do absolutely nothing. With his lunch money, history homework, and ID lost, the day seemed to just get worse and worse. "_Just one more class, Yugi. One more class..._" That's when he remembered that it was math. With Mr. Sennen. Yugi felt his face grow red with embarassment, "_Oh no! What if he says something to me about last night? Or worse: what if he laughs at me! Maybe I should just skip class..._"

"Yugi?"  
The teen froze. That was Mr. Sennen's voice. "_Stay calm stay calm stay calm..._" Yugi smiled at the teacher, "H-hi. Can I help you?"  
"Well, the bell's about to ring in about... thirty seconds, and you seem kinda distracted. I was just kinda checking to make sure you were coming to class."  
"_Stay calm, stay calm... stop blushing! Stop blushing and stay calm!_"  
Yugi hadn't said anything, so Mr. Sennen spoke again, "Is... everything alright Yugi?"  
"_Stop blushing... why is he so handsome? It's making things really hard for me!_" Yugi nodded and walked briskly to the door.

Mr. Sennen put his hand on Yugi's shoulder, "Yugi, you're being awfully silent. It's worrying me."  
"_Uh oh. Better say something... anything!_" So he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind: "Did you know that all bodily functions, including your heart, stop when you sneeze?"

The math teacher was obviously caught off guard by this, "I... uhm," he began to chuckle lightly, "No, I didn't know that."  
Yugi continued to his seat in a hurry, burying his face in his arms, not wanting to look up, _"Why do I say the dumbest things around Mr. Sennen? Why can't I think straight around him? This is so frustrating!"  
_The bell rang, beginning the math lesson. "Alright everyone, I finished grading all your math tests..." Yugi looked up at this, only for the teacher to continue, "... but, there's two people in this class who still need to take the test, so you won't get them back until Monday..."

Yugi sat through the class, absentmindedly doing his work. Luckily, he was able to get through the class and head home with no troubles. No more losing things, no more embarrassing himself, no more tripping, nothing. This day for him was full of bad luck, but he knew that these days didn't happen often.

"_Well, at least this day can't get any worse,_" Yugi thought optimistically as he opened the front door to his house.  
There, standing in the doorway, someone was waiting for him, their greeting simple but sinister, "Hello, Yugi."  
Yugi Mutou stood, his voice cracking with fear, "Dad. You're... you're home?"

* * *

LOOK! THINGS ARE ACTUALLY STARTING TO HAPPEN! Due to the homecoming of Yugi's dad, this story will get along faster! At least, it should...  
Anyways! Next chapter will have some Yami/Yugi bonding (at least it should. Unless I decide to add something else first... meh)!

I... also have some notes x3

1) I have observed that people say the weirdest things around people they crush on. Seriously. It's really entertaining to watch, but it must be a world of embarassment for the one blurting random crap out xD  
2) Speaking of random crap, the whole sneezing thing... it's a fact! Weird, huh? Also a little frightening; I mean, I've have sneezing spazz attacks... so, my heart has stopped for multiple seconds. Kinda scary. :P  
3) This chapter was really slow to type. Seriously. I was like "_Bah! I just want to get this DONE._" The next chapter will be much better. For I shall add fluff. Fluffity-fluffiness :D

Alright, I really gotta go now and eat dinner, then ride my bike to my school for the concert... yikes! Hope I don't mess up!

Review and I'll see you in a week~!


	7. Saturday Bonding

Hello! Back again with another chapter of "I Love You, Teacher"! *confetti falls from the sky*  
Man, I wish confetti really **could** fall at my will. That would make life so much more fun xD

Anyways! I quite enjoyed typing this chapter. It made me so happy :3

OH AND BY THE WAY... the dance concert went amazingly. Thank you for those who wished me good luck :D

**Disclaimer:** I do not own "Yu-Gi-Oh!" or any of the characters; I only own the story line and whatever OC's I put in.

So, yes. Here's your long-awaited FLUFF! Enjoy xD

* * *

Mr. Mutou folded his arms across his chest, "You don't sound very happy, Yugi." Yugi forced a smile on his face, his voice shaky, "O-of course I am, father. I-I'm just a little surprised."  
The man didn't seemed convinced, but his wife spoke before he could continue, "You must be tired from your trip home, dear; why don't you rest on the couch and watch some television? Yugi and I will prepare dinner."  
He narrowed his eyes, "**My** son? Cook? He has better things to do, Sara; cooking is a woman's job."  
Yugi could see his mom stiffen, but smiled anyways, "Yes, dear," she looked at her son, "Yugi, go on up to your room and do your homework, okay? I'll call you down when dinner is ready." Yugi nodded, desperately wanting to be out of the presence of his father.

Yugi retreated to his room, closing the door behind him. He sat on his bed to start on his homework, but his mind was focused on other things. Yugi simply did not like the way his dad spoke to his mom, but if he said anything he was bound to be punished.  
Yugi chewed on the eraser of his pencil in dismay, remembering his father's last comment. "_Is there something wrong with cooking?_" the teen wondered, "_I've cooked before and quite enjoy it; it's not a 'job for a woman'._" He noticed that his mom hadn't liked the sexist comment herself, but said nothing about it.

"Yugi! Dinner's ready!" The muffled voice of Mrs. Mutou called up. Yugi hadn't noticed so much time had passed. He sighed and pushed his homework off his lap, hoping that his father would be in a good mood. He glanced at a healing bruise that was up his arm; if his father was happy, the bruise would have more time to heal. If his father wasn't... well, the bruise would get worse.  
Yugi hesitantly walked down the stairs and took a left, heading to the dining room. He found his mom setting the table while his dad sat in his chair, no expression on his face.  
"Do you need help setting the table, mom?" Yugi asked politely.  
"No need," Mr. Mutou answered before his wife could say anything, "Take your seat and let your mom do her job."  
A weak smile from his mom let Yugi know that she was grateful to him for offering.

Mrs. Mutou placed the plates in front of her husband and son, taking a seat. The three began to eat their dinner, a thick silence hanging over them. Yugi was too scared to say anything, in case it angered his father. If there was to be conversation, someone else would have to start it.  
"So, Yugi," Mrs. Mutou daringly began, "Anything new happen today?"  
Yugi shrugged, "No. Everything's pretty normal."  
"You don't talk about school too much."  
"It's not that eventful."  
"Oh... so, what's your favorite class?"  
"Math." Yugi found himself saying without a thought. "_Mainly because I have a crush on the teacher,_" he added to himself. He didn't dare mention he was gay to his father; that would bring nothing but disaster.

Mr. Mutou looked up, narrowing his eyes, "I thought you were struggling in math."  
Yugi avoided his father's eyes, "W-we got a new substitute teacher... he's really cool, a-and math is getting easier to understand."  
Yugi's dad took a bite of his dinner, "Have you had any tests while I was gone? You know I need to see your test grades."  
"W-we had a math test yesterday, but we w-won't be getting them back until M-Monday..." Yugi began to shake. "_Please, God, please let me have gotten an A!_"  
His father's response was a mere grunt.  
Dinner went by without much conversation after that.

Yugi finished his dinner a few minutes later and sat, waiting. One rule at the dinner table was no one is excused until everyone is done eating. It was supposed to be polite, but Yugi found himself squirming in his seat with restlessness. His mom was done next and they exchanged glances, waiting for the last bite to be taken by Mr. Mutou.  
Yugi's dad looked down at his plate, "Sara?"  
"Yes, honey?"  
"I want to relax after dinner. Where is the beer?"  
"There's a case in the refrigerator in the garage."  
He didn't reply immediately; he took his last bite and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Yugi, you're excused to your room now."  
Yugi tried not to act relieved as he stood, thanking his mother for dinner and his father for excusing him, and left to his room.

Yugi Mutou found himself sitting in his room again, the door closed and locked. He sighed; his father was most tempermental drunk. He recalled a time when his dad woke him up in the middle of the night, drunk and mad. Yugi locked his door whenever his dad was drunk from then on.  
He collapsed onto his bed, hugging his pillow. "_Think happy thoughts, Yugi,_" he told himself, "_Go to your happy place._"  
Normally, his happy place was somewhere like a beach, or laying in a hammock or something. This time, he pictured himself with Mr. Sennen, walking down the sidewalk, casually talking and holding hands.  
Yugi couldn't help but giggle as a warm feeling bloomed inside of him.  
He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Sunlight drifted through the window, waking Yugi up. He sat up, letting the pillow fall from his arms. He rubbed his eyes, yawned, and squinted at his clock. "Eight twenty-six, Saturday morning..." he muttered to himself, pushing himself out of bed. He pulled out a new outfit from his dresser and opened his door slowly to walk to the bathroom, peering around to see if his dad was nearby. The house was silent. He locked himself in the bathroom for a good five minutes to get ready, changing, attempting to tame his hair, and brushing his teeth. He then stuck his head out and looked again, seeing the house was still silent. He snuck down the hallway found his father crashed on the couch in front of the tv, a pile of empty beers around him.  
He was going to have one heck of a hangover, and Yugi did not want to be around for that.  
He wrote a note to his mom and put in where he was sure she'd see it and silently left out the front door.

Yugi stuck his hands in his pockets and strolled down the sidewalk, wandering aimlessly. "_I'm not sure where to go..._" he thought, "_I just don't want to be home today._" He remembered the note, "_Well, I have to be home at noon, at least._" If he disappeared all day, his mother would worry and his dad would be pissed.

The sound of child laughing grabbed Yugi's attention. He turned his head to the left and looked across the street. There was the park; the perfect place for families to be on a weekend. He smiled and looked left and right, making sure there were no cars, and crossed it quickly. "_I should just relax and take a stroll through the park..._"  
Yugi followed the sidewalk that wrapped around the large park, sticking his hands in his pockets and letting his mind clear. The park was chock full of people, mostly families. He observed the families, seeing the picnicks they were having. Some families were sitting and eating, others were off chasing each other or playing frisbee. All the families looked to happy, so carefree... his heart ached for a family like that.

Yugi continued on the path, noticing a bench just off the sidewalk. He took a seat and just watched his surroundings, feeling the breeze in his hair and hearing the joyful laughter of children.  
He saw a child of one family throw a frisbee at her father, only for her brother to jump up and lunge for it. However, he tripped over his own feet and faceplanted. The family burst out into laughter and the mother helped her son up. Yugi chuckled to himself, "_Okay, that was pretty funny. I wonder if I did anything when I was younger?_" He couldn't remember a time when he came to the park with his parents. In fact, he couldn't really think of any time when he had spent quality time with his mom and dad at all.  
Yugi frowned when he wondered something: had he ever even seen his father smile?

He pushed himself up, shaking out any thoughts that might make him unhappy. "_Just enjoy your trip to the park, Yugi,_" he strolled leisurely into the field, "_Rid your mind of anything unpleasant, anything-_"  
"Ah, look out!"  
Yugi looked up at the call, finding a frisbee flying at him. It flew into his head and he found himself on the ground.  
He sat up, rubbing his forehead as he instictively began saying, "Ow, ow, ow..."  
Yugi then noticed someone standing in front of him, holding out their hand. He took it and was pulled back to his feet. He looked up at the person, beginning to speak, "Thanks-" he broke off his sentance when he saw who it was, his eyebrows raising in shock, "M-Mr. Sennen?"

The substitute sounded unhappy, "Again with the old-sounding name?"  
Yugi blinked a few times, "Oh, right. You'd rather be called... Yami, right?"  
"Yeah," Yami smiled and picked up the flying disk that hit Yugi.  
A little girl came running up to the two, holding out her hands, "U-uhm, I'm sorry mister, but can we have our frisbee back?"  
Yami got down on one knee to face the girl at eye level, holding out the frisbee, "Here you go. Just be carefull, okay?"  
She took it slowly, an innocent look of regret on her face, "I'm sorry, mister. I didn't mean to hurt your girlfriend."  
Yugi blushed, "G-girlfriend?"  
Yami only chuckled and patted her head, "He'll be okay. You run along now, okay?"  
She nodded and skipped back to her family.

Yugi pouted, "Girlfriend. I don't look like a girl, do I?"  
Yami stood back up and turned to Yugi, "I dunno, your face is pretty girl-like..."  
"Hey! No it isn't!"  
The man smirked, "I'm only teasing." He brushed back Yugi's bangs, "Are you okay? That frisbee smacked you pretty hard."  
Yugi knew Yami was only looking for a bruise or something from the frisbee, but it made him blush. He pushed Yami's hand away, "I-I'm fine."  
"It looks like you have a bruise. Are you sure-"  
"I-it's nothing I can't handle... th-thanks for caring, though."  
"Yeah... no problem."

Yugi shook his head, letting his bangs fall back into place, "What are you doing here anyways, Mr. Se- er, Yami?"  
A short laugh escaped Yami's lips, "What, I'm not allowed to sit at the park and relax? Despite contrary belief, us teachers do have a life outside of school."  
"Well, I, er... I didn't mean..." Yugi blushed, trying to form a sentance.  
Yami rubbed Yugi's hair, "You blush a lot, Yugi."  
"I-I don't mean to... I just seem to constantly embarass myself..."  
"Like at the restraunt?"  
Yugi nodded, "Y-yeah... I don't know what I was thinking..."  
Yami chuckled, "That's okay. I thought your wink was cute."

Yugi glanced around the park, "U-uhm, I should probably leave you alone... I didn't mean to distract you from your day..."  
Yami held up his hand, "Whoa, hold on; I never said I was doing anything important. I was only sitting by myself when I saw you get hit by the frisbee."  
"Oh. Still, I feel like I'm being a nuisance..."  
"You're the opposite, actually," Yami said, "I didn't have anything planned for today and would enjoy your company."  
"I don't know..." Yugi trailed off. Just then, his stomach growled loud enough for both of them to hear. "_Shoot. I forgot to eat breakfast,_" he realized.  
"You're hungry," Yami smiled, "Why don't you come get some breakfast with me?"

Yugi bit his lip; his father would be furious with him... but his father wouldn't have to know, would he? "_Besides, it's not like it's a date... right?_"  
He looked at Yami and couldn't help but smile, "I'd like that."  
"Great! I know this small shop in town that serves really good food. It's not fancy like a sit-down restraunt, but that doesn't make the food any less tasty."  
Yugi stood by Yami, grinning up at him, "Lead the way, then!"

Yami and Yugi walked side by side out of the park and down the sidewalk, heading towards the shop Yami mentioned.  
"So, Yugi," Yami began, "have you lived here in Domino all your life?"  
"Yeah... I've never moved once; I've lived in the same house since I was born." Yugi tugged on Yami's sleeve, "Well? What about you, then?"  
Yami shrugged, "Well, I was born in Tokyo, but moved here when I was fifteen, eight years ago." He smiled at Yugi, "I'm new to this part of town, though; I lived on the other side of the city."  
"Okay," Yugi nodded, thinking, "My turn to think of question..."  
"Turn?" Yami laughed, "Yugi, are you turning this into some kind of game?"  
Yugi frowned, "I'm sorry, do you not like games?"  
"No, no; I love games. Ask away, Yugi."

"Hmm... got one!" Yugi exclaimed after some thought, "Alright, if you were stuck on an island and could only bring one thing, what would you bring?"  
"A boat," Yami smirked, "so I could get home."  
Yugi crossed his arms and pouted, "Cheater."  
Yami laughed, "Alright, alright. I'd bring a book or something like that. If I'm going to be stuck on an island, I might as well bring something to do."  
Yugi stopped pouting and smiled slightly, "That's better."  
"What would **you** bring, Yugi?"  
"A game," the teen immediately answered, "I'm not sure what game, but anything should do; I love games."  
Yami smiled, "Remind me to get stuck on an island with you." He looked up at one of the shops they were passing.  
Yugi blushed, "M-me?"  
"Yeah. You have games; that would make living on an island much more enjoyable." He then nudged Yugi and pointed to a shop, "This is it, Yugi."

The two stepped into the shop and Yami took a deep breath, clasping his hands together, "Ah, how I love food..."  
Yugi couldn't help but giggle at his teacher.  
"Don't laugh at me," Yami said, "I'm hungry..."  
Yugi nodded to the menu, "Then buy something."  
Yami scanned the menu quickly, "Well you better pick something, too."  
He nodded, then slowly remembered something. He smacked his hand to his forehead, "Duh! I don't have any money!"  
"I'll pay for you."  
Yugi shook his head, "No! I couldn't..."  
"Yugi Mutou," the substitute sternly said, "don't you dare argue with me. I'm a grown man with a job and salary; I can pay for you."  
Yugi opened his mouth to talk back, but knew this was a battle he couldn't win. Instead he settled with angrilly muttering, "Don't call me by my full name."  
The corner of Yami's mouth turned up in a slight smile.

Yugi settled on a breakfast sandwich, which also happened to be one of the cheapest things on the menu, and Yami ordered some french toast.  
"The weirdest thing about this place is also the best thing," Yami stated as they sat down at a table, "they have the most random things on their menu."  
Yugi nodded and began to fiddle with the salt and pepper shakers.  
Yami began to laugh, causing Yugi to question him, "What's so funny?"  
He leaned closer to Yugi, lowering his voice, "Promise you won't tell?"  
"I promise!"  
"When I was kid, I used to play with the salt and pepper shakers..."  
Yugi rolled his eyes, "Come on, everyone did that!"  
"... and, I would give them names."  
Yugi blinked a few times, "What, Mr. Pepper and Mrs. Salt?"  
"More like Mr. Speckles and Mrs. Crystal."

Yugi laughed, "Y-Yami, th-that's... awesome!"  
Yami's face turned slightly red, "I don't think I'll continue then if **that** made you laugh..."  
Yugi smiled widely, "There's more? Tell me! Come on!"  
"No, I don't think I should."  
Yugi put his hands together, holding them in front of himself politely, "Please? I'll tell you something embarassing about me!"  
"... Fine," Yami sighed, "I would make my parents let Mr. Speckles and Mrs. Crystal order something off the menu as well."

Yugi found himself clutching his sides he was laughing so hard.  
"Yugi..." Yami slowly spoke, "Please don't injure yourself..."  
He looked back at Yami, "I never would've thought you'd do something like that!"  
"Well, just because I'm mature now doesn't mean I always was."  
"True," Yugi giggled, glancing at the salt and pepper.

"Alright, alright, your turn to talk, Yugi."  
Yugi nodded, "Okay, well... let's see, what should I tell you...? Ah!"  
Yami rested his head on his fist, "This should be good."  
Yugi rolled his eyes, "Okay, but you can't laugh."  
"Mmm... no promises."  
"When I was little... I used to sneak into my mom's room and try on her skirts. They were so big on me, I was able to wear them as dresses, and..."  
Yami's body began to shake from laughter. Yugi stopped talking.  
Yami noticed this, "No, no, continue!"  
Yugi grew quieter, "... and I used to run around the house, telling my parents that I looked as pretty as a princess."

It was Yami's turn to burst out laughing in the middle of the shop.  
"You... can't tell anyone, okay?" Yugi said, "I haven't even told my best friend, Jounouchi this."  
"Tell you what," proposed Yami, "I won't tell anyone if you won't. Deal?"  
"Deal."

"Order twenty-three."  
Yami looked up, "That's us. I'll go get it." He was up and back in less than thirty seconds and the two began to eat, still chuckling slightly over the other's story.  
"We'll have to do that again sometime," Yami mused between bites.  
Yugi nodded in agreement, "Mmhm."  
"I think I already have my next story," Yami chuckled, "back when I went to play laser tag with some friends back in fourth grade..."  
Yugi swallowed a bite of his sandwich, "Ah, laser tag. Is it fun?"  
Yami froze in mid-bite, "What do you **mean** 'is it fun'? Haven't you ever been?"

The look Yami gave Yugi made the younger feel like he'd just commited a federal crime, "... N-no..."  
The teacher put down his french toast, "I am taking you to play laser tag sometime very soon, Yugi. That's a **promise**."  
Yugi figured nodding in agreement would be the best response.  
"Honestly," Yami rolled his eyes, "never playing laser tag... it's like never going to a fair!"  
Yugi's silence made a look of horror come across Yami's face, "Don't tell me you've never gone to a **fair**, either!"  
Yugi flinched, "N-no, I've been... it's just been a while. Probably... five years..."  
Yami's jaw dropped, "W-**what**? Geez, what do they teach you kids in school?"  
"Hah!" the teenager exclaimed, "Like you don't know."  
"That was the point," Yami winked.

* * *

The Saturday went on as Yugi and Yami strolled through town after their breakfast, observing the displays in the windows and the shoppers on the streets. It didn't sound appealing to most people, but the two simply enjoyed one another's company.

"Hmm, eleven thirty already," Yami pointed out, nodding to his wrist watch.  
"What?" Yugi exclaimed, grabbing Yami's wrist and looking at the time himself. "Oh, no no no, I've gotta get home..."  
"So soon?" Yami asked, disappointment showing in his voice.  
"I told my mom I'd be home at noon, and I have to get back before my dad wakes up-"  
"Why's that? He won't let you spend the day outside?"  
"He's..." Yugi searched for a fitting word for his father, "strict." Yugi began to take a few steps backwards, in the direction of his home, "I'm sorry, Yami. I had a great time today. In fact, it was the most fun I've had in a long time..."  
Yami smiled, "Me too, Yugi."

Yugi ran off, waving, "See you in school, Mr. Sennen!"

Yami Sennen watched his student run out of sight and he kicked a rock on the ground, sighing. "_And thus I must spend the day alone again. If only these few hours lasted longer._"

* * *

Yugi ran up to his front door, coming inside as silently as possible. He kicked off his shoes and peered into the other room, seeing his father still asleep. He sighed in relief.  
The sound of footsteps made him look to the left and he saw his mom walking down the hallway, carrying a basket of laundry. "Welcome home," she said quietly, not loud enough to wake Mr. Mutou but enough for Yugi to hear.  
"Thanks, mom," he responded.

"Thanks for what?" This time it was a male's voice talking.  
Yugi whipped his head around, seeing his dad now awake, rubbing his eyes in annoyance.  
"Ah, er, th-thanks for doing my laundry. That's what I was telling mom. G-good morning, father," Yugi tried to be polite as possible to his dad.  
The man frowned, "It's morning, but not a very good one. My head's killing me."  
"_I do wonder why,_" Yugi thought sarcastically, remembering all the beer cans his father had surrounding him earlier.

Mr. Mutou stumbled into the kitchen, rummaging through a cabinet for some headache medicine.  
Yugi decided to test his luck, "Father... could I, perhaps, go out today? By myself? Maybe meet up with a friend?"  
"No." The answer was immediate and harsh; it was unlikely that he had even thought about the question.  
"But, why-"  
"No means no, Yugi, and if you disobey me, you will be punished."  
Yugi knew his father kept his word and nodded once, "I understand, father."

Oh, how Yugi wished he could still be out, spending the day with Yami.

* * *

ASDF. This chapter was long xP I typed for about three hours straight today. Whoo! But, I think this is the longest chapter so far! (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.)

Okay, so I quite enjoyed giving them embarassing moments xD The salt and pepper thing is something I would do... and the dress thing is something that one of my friends has done before. He told me and my other friend that he loved wearing his mom's dresses when he was little because they were so big and flowy on him.  
It's weirdly hilarious picturing him in a dress... hahaha

HEY HEY HEY did you notice what I did? I gave titles to my chapters! That's how super special awesome I am!

Well, anyhow, please tell me what you thought of this chapter and review! :D


	8. Sunday Troubles

Guess who?

It's me! I'm so sorry I never updated last week! School is out in a week and assignments have been piling up like **no tomorrow**... O.o  
Well, that… and I've been spending all my spare time playing the "Professor Layton" games. Seriously, I only recently got into them because I'm broke, so my friend loaned them to me… HOLY CRAP, they're AMAZING! No joke, I'm _addicted_ to those games. I played "Curious Village" for two days before finishing it, then played "Diabolical Box" for **nine hours** on Saturday, then spent the last few days playing "Unwound Future". Yeah. Someone outta slap me... .  
But, hey! Now that I've solved _**every single puzzle**_, my days won't be revolving around the games anymore and I should be back to a regular updating schedule! x3

Ahem, right... For some reason unknown to me, fanfiction isn't letting me respond to most reviews. It let me respond to… I think one, then it was like "ACCESS DENIED" and I was like "D:"  
So I will respond to them here! Yay me! xD

Yugixyamiyaoilover – Ah HAH! Not **yet**, that is! xD It's ironic, because his abusiveness comes out in this chapter... yeah. I guess I was just being extra nice to Yugi...?

SRRH – Chapter wise, I don't know how much longer Yami will be clueless about Yugi's dad. Maybe... four chapters? Story-time wise, probably another week, week and a half xD

Doragon-chan – Haha actually, it is **not** sad to say! Yugi is **adorable** in a dress! I know this because I have drawn him in one. As has my friend xD

Anime-on-replay – Sadly, I never did play with salt and pepper shakers as a kid. I enjoyed picking them up and looking at them for a good ten seconds, then my parents would tell me to put them back because they thought I'd spill them (smart parents, they are xD). So I made it up. Thank you!

Shado-Ookami - Pfffff I read your "Just because he teaches math doesn't mean he's weak!" and instantly said "Yes it does." out loud without even thinking. Something is seriously wrong with me... heh heh... but, yes, professions can be decieving! For example, you can be an archeologist and still be dang awesome. Like Professor Layton! xD *shot*

And that's all I'm responding to! Sorry about making you read all that to get to the chapter, but wait no longer! (Well, wait until after the disclaimer…)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own "Yu-Gi-Oh!" or any of the characters; I only own the story line and whatever OC's I put in.

Now you can read! Enjoy!

* * *

Yugi opened his eyes, letting out an impatient huff. "_Well, that didn't work._"  
He could still hear the TV blaring downstairs and stood up, beginning to wander aimlessly around his room.  
Yugi's dad had spent all night with the TV on full volume, causing Yugi to get not a single wink of sleep. Yugi had gotten up at about eight to sneak into the kitchen for some breakfast, but other than that he'd stayed in his room, still trying to fall asleep but to no avail.

"_If only I could leave. I wouldn't mind sleeping on a park bench or something, but if he finds out I snuck out without his permission, I'm in a lot of trouble._" He sat down on the edge of his bed, resting his chin in his hands. "_I wish I could just go back to yesterday morning._" Amidst his wishful thinking, the noise in the background cut off abruptly. Yugi turned his head towards the door in confusion, listening intently. "_Well, someone turned off the TV. About time! Now I can get some rest..._" He plopped down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He sighed dreamily, "Ah, peace and quiet..."

Yugi fell asleep quickly, but it didn't last very long. Yugi was again awoken by a loud noise, only it wasn't the TV. "**Yugi Mutou, you open this door right this very instant!**" The teen awoke in confusion, rubbing his eyes and dragging himself to his bedroom door to open it. He opened it with a yawn, too tired to be scared of what his father was pissed off about. "Yes, father?" he asked.  
The man frowned down at his son, grabbing the boy's writst and pulling him roughly down the hallway. Yugi let out a surprised yelp, "Father! Please don't grab so hard; i-it hurts!" His pleas were ignored.

The man pulled his son down the stairs and into the kitchen, finally releasing his grasp. "You've been intentionally ignoring me the past hour, Yugi. I will not tolerate this disrespect!"  
Yugi blinked, "A-an hour?" He looked at the clock, finally seeing how long he must've been asleep, "I-I didn't ignore you on purpose! I was asleep. See, I had trouble falling asleep last night and-"  
"Excuses!" scoffed Yugi's dad, pacing around the kitchen angrily, "You know I can't let this go unpunished, Yugi."  
"F-father!" Yugi cried, taking a step back, "B-but, I didn't do a-anything wrong!"

Yugi saw the cold, expressionless look on his dad's face and knew there was no way out of it. His dad grabbed Yugi's wrist again and forced his fist into Yugi's stomach, the teen contracting in pain. He released Yugi's wrist and shoved him back, letting Yugi stumble into the counter behind him. "Do you understand why you've been punished, Yugi?"  
Yugi looked down, clutching his stomach and biting his lip to hold back tears.  
"I asked you a question, Yugi."  
Yugi swallowed his tears, responding quietly, "Yes. I'm sorry, father."  
"Good. Next time you'll know to listen when I call you."  
Yugi looked up, "Why did you call me, father?"  
The man shrugged, "I forgot." And with that, he left Yugi alone in the kitchen.

Yugi clutched his stomach in pain, lifting up his shirt slightly to survey the damage. He winced, "_That's going to leave a bruise..._"  
The sound of the TV started up again, quieter than before but still loud. "Yugi, don't stand in the kitchen like an idiot and go do something productive!" called Mr. Mutou from his chair.  
"Yes, father," Yugi said, unsure if he even spoke loud enough for his father to hear him. Even so, he walked out of the kitchen and began to head to his room. His mother met him at the foot of the stairs, handing him some money.  
"Yugi, I need you to run to the store for me to get some milk," she said casually, but there was a look of concern in her eyes. Yugi was confused, "But, I thought we just bought some-"  
She ignored her son and pushed him gently to the front door, "Go on, we need some milk as soon as possible."

Yugi found himself standing on the front steps, blinking in confusion. He didn't want to go shopping; he wanted to sit in his room alone and hope his father would stay preoccupied with his TV. Yugi looked down at the money in hid hand, raising an eyebrow when he found a sticky note on one of the bills. He immediately recognized his mother's handwriting.  
"Yugi-  
I wanted an excuse to get you out of the house. Go where ever you want and just relax, alright? I know you need a break.  
Please be careful though, alright? And don't stay out **too** long.  
-Love, Mom"  
Yugi couldn't hold back his small smile, "Thank you, mom."

He began to walk down the sidewalk in no particular direction, letting his feet take him wherever. The pain his newest injury constantly brought bothered him, but he tried to ignore it, just long enough to get far away from his house. Yugi simply wanted a nice, quiet place where he could stop and relax. After about five minutes of walking, he found himself sitting down on the sidewalk in the middle of some neighborhood he didn'd recognize. He wasn't sure when he got there, but he didn't want to walk any farther than he had in case he got lost. Yugi would normally feel strange sitting in some neighborhood he didn't know, but at the time he didn't care. Yugi rubbed his stomach softly, feeling tears well up in his eyes again. "_I just want him to go away,_" he thought bitterly, "_I don't want to live under the same roof as him anymore._"

Yugi was positive he was going to cry, until he hear someone call his name. "Yugi?"  
He looked around hesitantly, wondering if he had imagined it, but it came again. "Yugi?"  
Turning around, he found his math teacher coming out of the door of a house behind him. "Ah... Mr- Yami?"  
The man smiled, "It **is** you. What are you doing all the way over here? I wasn't aware you lived in this neighborhood."

Yugi had walked aimlessly in a random direction to escape his father, and found himself in front of Yami Sennen's house. Typical. Yugi liked the teacher, of course, but didn't wish to explain his home situation to the man. Not to mention Yugi was on the verge of tears. He did not wish to let Yami see him cry.  
"I don't live in this neighborhood," Yugi said nervously, "I just wanted to go for a walk. I... don't want to be at home right now."  
Yami sat down by Yugi, "Any particular reason why?"  
Yugi avoided eye contact with the teacher, "I... don't wanna talk about it."  
Yami nodded, "I can respect that."

"So, I... didn't know you lived here," Yugi said, not wanting to talk about his home issues.  
"Well, yeah, I have to sleep somewhere," Yami chuckled, "Unless you thought I slept at the school or something."  
Yugi blushed slightly, "Well, er, no..."  
"Yep, we all keep little tents in the classrooms, under our desks. Then we pull them out and set them up when everyone leaves. If we get hungry, we head down to the cafeteria and make ourselves a snack..."  
Yugi shoved Yami on the shoulder playfully, "Alright, alright. No need to get all sarcastic on me."  
"Only teasing, Yugi."

A moment of silence stretched between the two before Yami frowned in concern, "Yugi... your parents know where you are... right?"  
Yugi shook his head, "No. I just... need to be away from home right now."  
The teacher looked away for a moment, "Yugi... when I was fifteen, I got in a fight with my parents."  
At first, Yugi didn't know where Yami was going with this, "Oh, uhm, I'm... sorry?"  
Yami rubbed Yugi's hair, chuckling, "Let me finish my story before you comment, okay?"  
"Oh, right. Sorry."  
Yami continued, "I don't remember what we argued about, but I was so mad that I packed a bag and ran away from home. I originally planned to be gone for about a month, then go back to see if they'd apologize. Do you know how long I was gone?"  
"Uhm, a month, like you planned?"  
"Nope. I was gone for half a day before I realized I was homesick, so I went home, made up with my parents, and never ran away again. The point is, Yugi: being mad at your parents is normal, but you really shouldn't run off without telling them. They love you no matter what and will always worry about you."

Yugi bit his lip, "I know my mom loves me, and I don't want to worry her, but my dad... he could care less about me. He's strict, he always finds a reason to get mad at me, and his punishments are..." Yugi searched for the right word, remembering what had happened at home earlier, "... harsh. I... I just don't want to be around him anymore. I..." Yugi felt the tears coming to his eyes and he put his hands to his face. "_Don't cry, Yugi, don't cry..._"  
Yami put his hand on Yugi's shoulder, speaking softly, "Are you alright, Yugi?"  
Tears streamed down Yugi's face, his body beginning to rack with sobs. He couldn't control it; his emotions had seemed to all mix into one, making it hard for Yugi to tell what to do to deal with his feelings. There was frustration, confusion, anger, depression, but mostly fear. He was scared of his father. He was scared for his life when his father came near him.  
In this moment, Yugi felt so horribly alone.

Yugi felt someone wrap their arms around him and pull him into a tight hug. Yugi knew it was Yami; after all, it was Yami he had been sitting next to when he'd burst into tears. Yami stroked Yugi's hair softly, telling him everything would be alright. Yugi wished more than anything that it would be.  
Yugi gripped Yami's shirt like his life depended on it, wishing to never be let go.  
Even if he knew this one hug wouldn't make his life better, he felt comforted in Yami's arms. He felt **safe**, and that's all that mattered.

* * *

I don't like third person! Why did I choose to write this in third person? That is a mistake I will _never make again_. I mean, it comes in handy at some points, but, for the love of Ra, it's _hard_! (And by the way, sorry if this chapter is crap. I'm typing this on little sleep, so my writing isn't top notch.)

*ahem* Please excuse me. I'm just upset because this chapter was unbelievingly hard to type, and I don't like making Yugi cry. I mean, I type so many stories and have put my other characters through crap, but when I do it to Yugi, I feel so **guilty**.  
Also, before anybody starts asking why Yugi and his mom don't just pack their things and leave, think about it: the father is the one who has to provide for the family. They have a job, they pay for the house, the food, all the necessary items to live. For most families, you **need** a father (I say _most _and not_ all_ because my family's doing just fine without a dad. I hardly see him and miss him tons, but we're doing alright). So, it's a heck of a lot easier said than done when you go, "They should just leave!"  
Plus: how hard would it be to leave your spouce? Seriously. You'd have to choose either a) the one you fell in love with and married b) your child, whom you hate to see being harmed. Sounds easy enough, but put yourself in that position and it's probably one heck of a hard choice.  
I wouldn't know, though, since I've never been married nor had a kid.

Ah... anyways. Sorry about the little rant. Please review (and I promise Yugi's life will get better) xP


	9. Stay Strong

I'm sorry for not updating! I'm such a horrible person, please forgive me! D'x  
Waaaaa I've been surprisingly busy since school got out!  
So, uhm, please don't throw things at me and just read this chapter and be happy...

**Disclaimer: **I do not own "Yu-Gi-Oh!" or any of the characters; I only own the story line and whatever OC's I put in.

Right, so, read and, er, enjoy? x{P - I missed the P button on the first try, so now he has a mustache!

* * *

School is something usually dreaded by students. However, Yugi Mutou had recently started liking school a whole lot more. Another reason he liked it came to him Monday morning: he didn't have to be around his dad for about seven hours. He smiled and found himself practically skipping into the kitchen.  
He was glad his father stayed up all hours of the night; it meant he wasn't awake when Yugi was.

He pulled out a pop tart and began to eat it, frowning, "_It's… kind of sad how happy I am to be away from my dad,_" he thought, "_Maybe… I should run away from home…_"  
Sara Mutou stepped into the kitchen, carrying various cleaning supplies in her arms. She smiled sweetly, "Good morning, Yugi," and proceeded to clean the window in the kitchen.  
Guilt hit Yugi like a ton of bricks and he found himself staring at his breakfast in dismay, "_But, I can't leave mom here alone. What if dad hurts her, instead?_" He hadn't seen his father lay a hand on his mom, but he wouldn't put it past his dad to find a new victim if Yugi were to go missing.

Yugi finished his breakfast with a determined nod, "_I need to stay here. I need to be strong. I can't be weak, not even for a moment…_" The memory of his breakdown the previous day filled his mind, causing Yugi's eyes to widen, "_Oh no. I broke down and cried… in front of Yami! Great… now he must think I'm a complete idiot! Why did I have to run into **him** during my moment of weakness?_" He calmed himself, thinking more calmly, "_But… then again, he did make me feel… safe. And… I feel like I can trust him…_" He shook his head, "_Even so! I can't break down like that again!_"

Sara finished cleaning the window and tossed a paper towel in the garbage, turning to face her son, her voice low but full of worry, "Are you okay, Yugi?"  
Yugi nodded, "Oh, yeah! I'm just thinking is all."  
She shook her head, "Oh, no, I meant… about yesterday…"  
Yugi shrugged, avoiding the subject entirely, "I really should get going, mom. See you after school."  
She was silent as he quickly gathered his things and rushed out the front door.

"_I shouldn't worry her,_" he thought, "_I just have to pull through this. I'm tough, right? I can do it!_"  
"Yo! Yug!" the call came from behind Yugi, but he instantly recognized it. Yugi turned, nodding at his friend, "Morning, Jounouchi."  
Jou caught up to Yugi and slowed his run to a walk, letting out a sigh, "Man. I don't wanna go back to school. I wish the weekend could last forever."  
"Yeah," Yugi muttered, his mind elsewhere.  
Jou frowned, hearing Yugi's distracted tone, "Hey, Yug… you okay?"  
The smaller teen bit his lip for a moment before looking up at his friend, "Jounouchi, do you think I'm tough?"  
"Well…" the blonde trailed off, "you're about as tough as a baby panda. So… that would be a no."  
Yugi felt a bit insulted at first, but then saw a smile slip onto Jounouchi's face. Yugi shoved Jou playfully, "Jounouchi! That's not funny!"

Jou laughed, patting Yugi on the head, "Sorry, Yug. Couldn't help myself. Naw, I only said that because ya **used** to be a wimp."  
"Gee, thanks, Jounouchi," Yugi commented sarcastically, moving Jounouchi's hand off his head.  
"Well, you've come a long way, pal. Ya used to run over to my house crying a lot, as a kid."  
"What? What did I cry over?"  
"Lots of things," Jou chuckled, "I think once you were crying because your mom threw away your favorite pair of socks."  
"I… seriously don't remember. At all."  
Jou scratched his head, "It **was** a while ago… back before we moved to another neighborhood. You know, when we lived in… what was that neighborhood called?"  
I racked my brain for a moment, drawing a name out of nowhere, "… Leisure Estates?"  
"That's it!" Jou exclaimed, grinning, "Anyways, as I was sayin', you've come a long way since then. You're a tough guy now."  
"_Good,_" Yugi thought, nodding with a slight smile.

The two stepped onto school grounds, meeting up with Anzu and Honda almost immediately. "There you two are!" Honda exclaimed, hooking his arms around Yugi's and Jounouchi's necks and pulling them in, "We've been waiting forever!"  
Jou shot Honda a glare, "Yeah, yeah, now let us go!"  
"Why? Worried Kaiba will see you?" Honda smirked.  
Yugi, attempting to free himself from Honda's grasp, addressed Anzu, "Kaiba? As in Seto Kaiba, that rich kid who goes to our school?"  
Anzu nodded, "Yeah. He and Jounouchi have the same math class. They constantly fight each other." She laughed, "I think Jounouchi just doesn't want to give Kaiba another reason to call him a loser."  
"I think the two secretly like each other," Honda said.  
"HELLO!" Jounouchi yelled, "I'm right here and can hear everything you're saying!"  
"Admit you like Kaiba and I'll let you go," Honda teased, releasing Yugi in the process.  
"Me? Like that jerk? Let me tell you something, Honda—"

Yugi rubbed his neck, chuckling at his two friends. Honda and Jounouchi were very entertaining to watch; they'd even a small crowd of people to watch them curiously. "Do you think we should tell them that they have an audience?" Yugi asked.  
Anzu shrugged, "No, they'll figure it out eventually. Besides, the bell should ring any moment now."  
"Well, alright. I guess I'll head to class now, then. See you later, Anzu."

* * *

Yugi couldn't help but gulp as he stood outside the math classroom, a moment he had dreaded that day. "_It's okay, Yugi… just… go in, and pretend like nothing even happened. Nothing at all. If I'm lucky, there'll be other students and he won't want to talk to me in front of them… yeah. That'll work. Okay! Here I go!_" He adjusted the backpack on his back and opened the door, entering the classroom.  
To Yugi's dismay, it was empty except for Yami and him.  
"_… Now that I think about it, I suppose I should've waited in the hallway until one minute of the passing period is left. Everyone comes in then._"

The teacher looked up from his work, dropping his pencil when he saw who it was, "Yugi."  
Yugi froze for a moment before looking up briefly, smiling, and then continuing to his seat, avoiding eye contact the whole way.  
Yami, however, didn't give up on speaking to his student. "Yugi, are you alright?"  
Yugi nodded, refusing to look up as he pulled out his things and set them on his desk, "Yeah. I'm fine," he muttered.

Yami pushed himself up and out of his chair, walking to Yugi. He stopped in front of the teen and crossed his arms across his chest. Yugi couldn't help but gulp.  
"I want to talk to you about yesterday."  
Yugi shrugged, "There's nothing to talk about…" He was caught off guard when Yami put his hand under Yugi's chin and tilted his head up until they were staring each other in the eye. The substitute's crimson eyes were full of worry, "Yugi, you do not come across to me as a boy who would cry like that about nothing. Whatever it is you're facing, I don't want you to go through it alone. You can trust me, Yugi; I want to help you."  
"Yami…" Yugi felt his cheeks heat up as he stared into Yami's eyes, the man's face only mere inches from his own.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Sennen!" a girl called, slamming open the door happily. The two jumped away from each other, each one blushing slightly.  
"Good afternoon, Miho," he said before he turned back to Yugi expectantly.  
Yugi glanced over at Yami, "There's nothing I'm struggling with, Ya— Mr. Sennen."  
The teacher let out a sigh, speaking low so the students now entering couldn't hear, "Alright. Just remember that I'm here for you, alright? I care about you." He turned and casually strolled back to his desk, smiling and greeting the mass of teenagers now coming through the door.

Yugi tried to force his blush away, sitting down in his seat casually. He wanted to act normal, like nothing was wrong.  
But there **was** something wrong: the strange feeling in his chest. He'd never felt it before in his life, but he was sure it was because of Yami.  
Was he falling in love? Was he, Yugi Mutou, seriously falling in love with his math teacher?

* * *

I actually started writing this chapter when school was still in… I was the first person to finish my math final, so I decided to get started on the next chapter.  
It was a pain in the butt to go through my writing notebook to find the right story, though. I seriously have about six stories in there that I started. Pft. Add that to the other thirty or so stories I have yet to finish saved in my documents on my computer (and no, that number is not exaggerated).

Anyways, I'm sorry this chapter was short... I actually enjoyed typing it, so I'll probably have another chapter out in the next two days! See, I'm going out of town from Wednesday morning until mid-noon Saturday. I won't be on the computer at all, since it's a church camp I'm going to.

Ah, also! I know there's kinda sorta hints at Puppyshipping in here... I'm not really planning on adding any, since this story kinda revolves around Yugi and Yami (and I'm a bit of a Polarshipper myself xP) and I added it for the sole purpose of Honda teasing Jounouchi, BUT if you all reaaaaallly want me to, I'll add some Puppyshipping. ^^

So… Review? And don't hurt me for not updating this sooner... xP *locks self in room to avoid being injured/killed by angry readers*


	10. Bad Grades and Another Chance Meeting

I'd like to dedicate this chapter to "Faster than a Kiss", the manga that got me into teacher/student relationships. xD  
Hah, naw, I should really dedicate this chapter to all my AWESOME READERS/REVIEWERS! Seriously. I LOVE you guys, so much! Stay awesome!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own "Yu-Gi-Oh!" or any of the characters; I only own the story line and whatever OC's I put in.

Ahh, I'm drinking a mango smoothie from Jack in the Box, and thus am in a very good mood. So, read and enjoy, you awesome people, you!

* * *

"I mean it, Yug! I can't stand that guy!" Jounouchi complained as he walked home with his friend.  
"You know, Jounouchi, the more you say that, the less it seems like hate and the more it seems like denial. Maybe Honda was right about you liking Kaiba."  
"What!" The blonde exclaimed, "I haven't been talking about him that much!"  
Yugi adjusted his backpack, "Well, you've told me you hate him nine times in the past two minutes. I had no idea you were into guys, until now."  
"Meh, I've never really thought about it… hey, wait! I **don't** like Kaiba, I hate him!"  
"Ten."  
"Huh?"  
Yugi held out his hands, all of them extended, "That's the tenth time you've said you hate him."  
Jou shoved Yugi's hand down, turning slightly red in the face, "Whatever."

Yugi chuckled at his friend, but decided that was enough teasing for one day. "Jounouchi, I have a quick question."  
Jou narrowed his eyes, "If this is about Kaiba in any way, shape or form..."  
"No, I promise!" Yugi laughed, "I was just going to ask if you understood our History homework at all."  
"Oh," Jou said, scratching his head, "Mmm, nope not at all. To be honest, I was sleeping."  
Yugi rolled his eyes, layering his voice in sarcasm, "Way to go. You're such a model student!"  
"Hey, now, don't be jealous!" the taller teen smirked, laughing smugly.  
Yugi glanced over at his upcoming street, "Ah, well, I'm sure I'll figure it out on my own."  
"Mkay, Yug. You do that." He patted his friend on the back, nodding over at the next street, "This is where we part, pal."  
Yugi nodded, "See you tomorrow then, Jounouchi."

Yugi Mutou headed down the street, only his thoughts keeping him company. He let his mind wander and that led to thoughts of Yami. Yugi couldn't shake the moment in class from his mind, the moment when Yami's mouth was only inches away from his own... "_Ahg, I need to stop thinking about that!_" Yugi thought in distress, "_But... maybe he likes me as well, or else he wouldn't've gotten so close to me. Right?_" He wasn't sure what to think, as nothing like this had ever happened to him before. "_He did say that he cares for me... b-but what if he meant that in a I-care-for-you-as-my-student type of way?_" Yugi let out a groan and rubbed his head, "_This is making my brain hurt._"

He sighed and reached for the doorknob to his house, opening the door. "I'm home..." he called out calmly, only to be greeted with a loud crash.  
Shards of glass flew in Yugi's face and he instinctively covered his face before peeking. He found his father standing not too far away, looking totally pissed about something. Scared as he was, Yugi was able to ask, "U-uh... d-did you just throw a bottle at me?"  
Yugi's dad narrowed his eyes at his teenage son, "Don't you stand there all innocent, son. You know you deserved it."  
"B-but, I didn't do anything wrong!" Yugi protested, inwardly sighing in relief at the fact that his father had missed in his aim and hit the wall instead of his face.  
"You didn't, huh?" asked his father, "Then what's this, hmm?" He held out a sheet of paper, waiting impatiently for his son to take a look.  
Yugi hesitantly walked closer, glancing curiously at the sheet, "This... is my progress report for this quarter of the year..."  
"Yes! Do you see that grade? The one for math! Look at it!"  
There it was. A high B; an 89.7 percent, to be exact.

"Dad, this is just a progress report, to show you how I'm doing so far this semester. It's not a final grade for the year, it's just so you know."  
"Yugi, you know any grade below an A is unacceptable."  
Yugi frowned, thanking any higher being that may be out there that his father hadn't seen his grade from a few weeks ago, back when it was a mid-C.  
"I'll get it up, dad. I promise, that B will be an A in the next few days." Yugi thought this would be enough to satisfy his dad, but quickly found that this wasn't the case.  
His dad backhanded him across the face, sending Yugi to the ground.

Yugi put his hand to his face, holding the throbbing cheek gently.  
His father stood over him, threatening the boy, "You better hope you have an A in the next few days, Yugi, or you will regret it." He dropped the paper on Yugi's laugh and turned away, heading up the stairs and down the hallway.  
Yugi's mom was standing nearby the whole time, watching her husband's actions unhappily. The moment her husband was gone, she ran to her son and helped him up, "I'm sorry, honey, I'm sorry..."  
Yugi smiled at her, "It's nothing mom, no need to worry. I'm fine, really."  
"No, I mean it, I'm sorry... he's just having a stressful week at work, I'm sure is all. Why don't you go out for another walk? I'll try to calm him down, alright?"  
Yugi opened his mouth to tell her that he was fine staying home, but there was a look of pleading in her eyes. He nodded, "Alright. If you insist, mom."  
She smiled, "Good. Just make sure to be back in half an hour, alright?"

And so Yugi found himself outside again. He turned back to his front door, mentally wishing his mom good luck.  
He then turned in a random direction and started walking, softly poking his burning cheek.  
"_Now I really hope this doesn't bruise,_" thought Yugi, "_or else people will start asking questions._" A bruise on the stomach was no problem, as it would always be hidden by a shirt, but a face injury could be noticed by everyone.

Yugi glanced at the sign he was passing, realizing he was entering a neighborhood. "_Leisure Estates. Hey, wait! Isn't this where Jounouchi said he used to live?_" He scanned the houses, wondering why they seemed so familiar if he hadn't even remembered the days when he would run to Jounouchi's house as a kid.  
Then it hit him.  
"_This is the neighborhood I ran into Yami in!_" Yugi had to use almost all his willpower to not smack himself in the forehead, "_Geez. No wonder I came here. I must've ran here so much as a kid that my legs automatically took me here the other day... Great. I sure hope I don't run into Yami, or he'll ask questions again..._"  
"Yugi?"  
"_... Crap._"

Yugi turned to the one who called his name, seeing Yami across the street. Yami waved at him and Yugi waved back, "_Don't come over here, don't come over here, don't come over here..._" Yami looked both ways quickly before jogging across the street.  
"_... Double crap._"  
"Yugi, what're you doing over here again?"  
"Oh, uhm... nothing. Just... walking. And... thinking," Yugi spoke nervously, avoiding eye contact with Yami.  
Yami was worried by this, since Yugi was acting shifty, "Yugi, is something wrong?"  
Yugi looked up at Yami briefly before looking away again, "No, no, of course not..."

"Yugi, what happened to your cheek?"  
"Uhm I fell. On my... cat."  
"... Do you even have a cat?"  
"Well not anymore. Since I fell on it." Yugi wasn't even fully aware of what he was saying; he only wanted to get out of there. He didn't want to break down crying again and was afraid he would. There was something about Yami Sennen that made him feel weak.

By this point, Yami was tired of Yugi avoiding eye contact with him. He caught his student's face in his hands and spoke firmly yet kindly, "Yugi, look at me."  
Yugi did, and instantly could've sword he was melting.  
"You can talk to me. You can _trust_ me. I don't like to see you unhappy, and no matter how you try to hide it, I can tell there's something wrong. I want to help."  
Yugi blinked a few times before responding, "I'm sorry. I just... don't want to dump my problems on anyone. It's... family issues. Personal stuff, you know? It... can't be helped."  
Yami nodded slowly, "Okay. I just... don't like to see you unhappy is all." He released Yugi's face and shrugged.  
The small teenager smiled up at him, blushing slightly, "Thank you... for caring."

A smile spread across the teacher's face, "I think I know how to make you cheer up, though."  
"Oh... really?" Yugi asked, confused since he wasn't sure how to himself, "What is it?"  
Yami winked, "That's a surprise. Are you free this Saturday?"  
Yugi's eyes widened, "_Is he... asking me out on a date?_" He then realized he couldn't remember how to speak, so he nodded instead.  
Yami grinned, "Great. Give me your hand." Yugi did as he said, unsure of what Yami was doing.

The man pulled out a pen from his pocket and scribbled seven letters onto Yugi's hand, then handed the pen to Yugi. "_Wha? Oh! Phone numbers! Right!_" Yugi quickly wrote his number down and handed the pen back to Yami. He took it and smiled, "I'll call you Saturday morning," he then pointed to his number, "Though, feel free to call me any time. Alright?"  
Yugi nodded, "Y-yeah!"  
"Well, then," Yami said, taking Yugi's other hand swiftly and planting a small kiss on Yugi's knuckle, "Can't wait until then."  
And with that, he turned and crossed the street again to head home.

* * *

You know, I actually have a friend who lives in a neighborhood called "Leisure Estates". It makes her feel old, because it sounds like a place meant for retired people. Haha

Also, I have this horrible habit sort of similiar-ish to Yugi's. As a kid, I snacked CONSTANTLY, so every time I walked into the kitchen I would open the pantry. Even now, years later, I find myself opening the pantry when I walk in the kitchen, even when I'm not hungry. It's a horrible thing, but I don't even think about it! I just do it! Bah.

Anyways, I updated this early because I'm going out of town tomorrow morning! I won't be back until Saturday afternoon, so I decided to update now!

Hope you enjoyed. Please review!


	11. The Week

*looks up at title of chapter* Seriously? How much more uncreative can I get? xD

So, I had a lot of fun at my church camp! It was nice to get away from home and bond with my ward members. I also did some brainstorming for some stories! This includes a spy story I'm going to start working on. Not sure when I'll post it, since I have to make the storyboard outline and such first. I don't expect it to be up super soon, but it will be Puzzleshipping and it'll be up eventually... xD

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of the characters, but I do own the story line and whatever OC's I put in.

Also, sorry I never updated last Thursday. Things were abnormally hectic as I prepared for my birthday party. But, I'm updating today... which is the day after... MY BIRTHDAY! xD I would've updated yesterday, but I spent all day playing "Heavy Rain" on my new PS3. :P

Now, please read and enjoy! :3

* * *

Yugi sat at the dining table, quickly finishing his homework. He smiled at himself as he finished his math, happy he was finally starting to understand the subject. He chewed on his pencil's eraser for a moment, wondering what had made it so easy suddenly. Since Yami, or Mr. Sennen, had come, Yugi found paying attention a lot easier to do, plus the way he worded things seemed to make more sense.

Yugi wrote down the answer to the final question and tucked the worksheet away. He glanced down at his hand, seeing the faded pen on his hand. Yami's number. It was only barely noticeable now, since it was a day later and he'd already washed his hands multiple times.  
It was okay, though; he had copied it down on a piece of paper and tucked it safely away in his binder.

He let out a silent sigh, wishing he could call Yami, but couldn't as long as his father was home.

The phone let out a ring about then and Yugi looked over, wondering who could be calling him. He stood and picked it up, speaking formally, "Mutou residence, Yugi speaking." Right as he had finished his sentence, he felt his dad standing behind him. "Speaker," was all he said. Yugi nodded and put the phone on speaker as his dad ordered.

"Ah, Yugi!" the voice from the phone spoke, "It's me, Anzu."  
"Good afternoon, Anzu," Yugi said, feeling uncomfortable since his conversation wasn't private as he wished it could be.  
"I was calling to see if you could help me… see, I have math first hour, and was wondering if you understood the homework Mr. Sennen assigned us."  
Yugi grinned, "Yeah, I understand it! I can help you if you want. Do you want me to teach you over the phone?"  
"Yeah, that'd be nice. Thanks!"

Yugi could tell his dad didn't like listening to Yugi's math blabber, but he made it quite obvious he wasn't going to let Yugi's conversation be private, just like every other phone conversation he'd had since he was old enough to use the device.

As Yugi finished explaining, he realized how hard it was to explain things over the phone, unable to show them any examples. "Uhm… did you understand that, Anzu?"  
She was silent for a minute, "Hmm… hang on, let me try…" The sound of a scratching pencil in the background was all that could be heard for a moment before Anzu let out a frustrated sigh, "I'm sorry Yugi; you did a great job explaining; it makes slightly more sense, but I still don't understand. I'll just go in before school to get help from Mr. Sennen."  
Yugi nodded, before remembering Anzu couldn't see him, "Okay… are you sure?"  
"Yeah, no problem! Besides," she added with a slight giggle, "he's pretty cute. Alright, see you tomorrow, Yugi!"  
"Y-yeah…"

The second Yugi hung up the phone, his father attacked him with a question, "Who's Mr. Sennen? I don't remember any of your teachers having that name."  
Yugi smiled, trying to look innocent when he was actually nervous, "He's a substitute. Miss Keen has been home sick for a while."  
"And your friend thinks he's... cute."  
"Well, a lot of girls have a crush on him. They say he's pretty handsome." "_... And they'd be right._" Yugi added in his head.  
"Huh." Yugi's dad scoffed, "Well, they'd better focus on school before they start crushing on some teacher."

The man turned and walked back to his chair in front of the TV, leaving Yugi standing in front of the phone. He looked back down at his hand, knowing that he didn't want his dad listening to any conversation between Yami and him. Yugi let out a sigh, crossing his fingers, "_I just wish I could talk to him… I feel really happy when I do, and there's not enough time at school to talk with him._" Yugi tapped his chin, "_Well… maybe I can spend lunch with him! No, I'm sure he doesn't want me bothering him… or does he?_"

* * *

A day passed quickly and Yugi found himself walking through the front door, staring down at his hand. The phone number had disappeared all except for a few tiny lines. He wasn't feeling particularly happy that day, since they had started a new lesson and all the girls in the class had demanded attention from Mr. Sennen. "_I know I'm seeing him Saturday, but I still wish I had more time to talk to him…_"

He walked past the kitchen and dropped his backpack on the floor by the table, noticing the TV was off and his father wasn't sitting in front of it. Yugi turned his head from side to side before looking in the kitchen and peering up the staircase. "Yugi, what are you looking for?" Sara asked from the kitchen, in the middle of unloading the last three plates from the dishwasher.  
"I was just wondering where dad is, that's all."  
"Oh, he had some business meeting, so he's still at work."

Yugi grinned and glanced at the home phone, "Mom, can I call a friend? I want to talk to them, but don't like it when dad listens in on my conversations. Please?"  
She nodded, "I don't see why not. Go ahead!"  
Yugi thanked her numerous times before he ran to the next room, picking up the phone before running to his backpack. He pulled out his binder and found the small piece of paper with Yami's number, typing it on the phone and holding the device to his ear.

It wasn't until he heard Yami's voice say, "Hello?" that he realized he didn't know what to say.  
"Uhm, h-hey, Yami, it's Yugi…"  
His voice sounded pleased, "Yugi! Good afternoon. How are you?"  
"I'm good…"  
"What is it you need?"  
"Uhm… w-well, I kinda… didn't have a reason to call. I just… wanted to hear your voice." "_Oh crap, did I seriously just say that?_"  
"My voice, huh? Is math class not enough for you?" Yami joked.  
Yugi found himself blushing and was glad Yami couldn't see it, "W-well, I-I just… u-uh…"

Yami laughed, "It's okay, Yugi. I actually was hoping you'd call."  
Yugi blinked a few times, "You… you were?"  
"Yeah. I wasn't really doing anything and wanted to talk to you, but wasn't sure if you were home or busy."  
"But… you wanted to talk to **me**? Of all people?"  
"I like talking to you, Yugi. I constantly wish we could talk more often," his voice was full of sincerity and Yugi let a smile onto his face.  
"Thank you," Yugi said.  
"So, Yugi," Yami continued, "What do you want to talk about?"

The pair found themselves talking for hours, chatting about whatever came to mind. Friends, family, past experiences, whatever. Yugi had moved to the couch about ten minutes into the conversation, laying on it with his legs hanging over the arm rest, kicking them nonchalantly.

"Ah, to be honest, I never really liked butterflies," Yugi was saying.  
"Really?" Yami asked, "Any particular reason why?"  
"I don't really know. They're pretty from afar, but up close they're kinda… freaky."  
Yami seemed to think this over a little, "I see. I personally like butterflies. I've always liked moths as well, but most people don't."  
"Yeah," Yugi nodded, recalling Anzu's fear of moths, "I think it's because they're brown and all murky-colored."  
"I still find them pretty."  
"Yeah, they're also kinda pretty from afar. What about dragonflies, what do you think about those?"  
"I like them," Yami said, "They're interesting."  
Yugi kicked one leg extra high happily, "Yeah, me too! Oh, okay, this one time, when I was little—"

Yugi heard the doorknob jingle. He sat up quickly and looked over, seeing the door open slowly. "Oh, crap, Yami I gotta go! I'm sorry, I'll see you at school tomorrow," Yugi quickly rambled, not even waiting for a response before hanging up and sprinting across the room to put the phone on the receiver. He then sat at the table and began to pretend to do homework, even though he had already finished it in class.

Yugi's dad walked in, yelling out an, "I'm here!"  
Yugi raised his head and smiled sweetly, "Welcome home."  
The man walked into the room and eyed his son at the table, "Are you doing your homework?"  
"Yep! Done!" Yugi exclaimed, picking up all his school things and retreating past his dad and into his room.

* * *

Yugi stepped into his math classroom the next day, smiling and waving at Yami, who was rewriting an assignment on the board. Yugi saw there were no other students in the room, as usual, and spoke, "Good afternoon, Yami." He proceeded to drop his backpack on the floor by his desk.  
Yami smiled, "Is it? I wouldn't describe it as 'good', seeing as I've been wondering why you were in such a rush to get off the phone yesterday for some time now. Am I really that boring?"  
"Oh, no!" Yugi moved closer to Yami and fretted, waving his hands quickly as he began to ramble, "It's just that my dad was getting home just then, and he doesn't like me talking on the phone. He always makes me put it on speaker, and I thought he'd get mad since he's never met you."  
Yami smiled and took three steps toward Yugi to close the gap between the two. He poked Yugi's nose playfully, "You know, I feel bad for making you worry, but you're really adorable when you do."

He turned and continued writing, leaving a pouting Yugi. "Oh yeah?" the teen asked, briskly walking around Yami. He reached up and rubbed his hand across the board, erasing much of what Yami had written. Yami looked offended, "You... you erased my message."  
Yugi crossed his arms across his chest smugly, "Call it karma. What are you gonna do about it?"  
An evil smirk crossed the teacher's face, "Say, Yugi... are you ticklish?" The younger teens eyes widened, understanding what Yami's plan was.  
He backed away slowly, "Now, now... no need to do anything hasty..."  
Yami pointed over his shoulder at the board, "I think I do."  
Yugi pulled a math book off a nearby desk and used it as a shied, "Good luck getting past this book."  
Yami smirked and quickly stepped forward, snatching the book away.

Yugi let out a squeal and lept over a row of desks, puzzled as he heard Yami chuckle. Yugi frowned, "What's so funny?"  
"You scream like a girl," Yami said, continuing to chuckle.  
"Hey!" exclaimed Yugi, "Do not!"  
"I assure you, you do," Yami put the math book back on a desk, "but it's really cute."

"Do you do this on purpose?" Yugi asked, trying to stop blushing.  
"Do... what?" Yami responded.  
"Say things that make me blush," Yugi said, shyly making eye contact with Yami, "like, about how something I do is... cute."  
Yami smiled, "I don't say things like that to make you blush; I say things like that because they're true. Although, it's a bonus now that I know how embarrassed those compliments make you."  
Yugi was prepared to pout and make some comeback, but the words were taken right out of his mouth as Yami leaned across the desk that separated them and planted a soft kiss on Yugi's cheek.

Yami let out a sigh and turned back towards the front of the room, "I'd better get back to writing the assignments on the board." He looked at Yugi over his shoulder, winking, "You'd better not be too mischievous, or I just might make you pay for it during out date Saturday."  
Yugi couldn't stop the giggle that slipped out of his mouth, grinning back at the teacher.

"_It really is a date!_" Yugi thought excitedly, "_Yami said so himself!_"  
He happily skipped to his seat, trying to ignore the nagging thought in the back of his mind: "_He's a teacher, I'm his student. We could get in some serious trouble if we're caught, but it's worth the risk... right?_"

* * *

Maybe I should start putting my author's notes in bold or something so you can tell them apart from the story more easily. Hmm. Include in your review if I should (if you want) xD

Is it sad that I had to text my sister to ask her if high school classrooms have security cameras or not? She said, "Classrooms? No, they don't. ... I think."... and that was good enough for me!

It also took me some time to decide if I should jump right into the date or do a little chapter to transition through the week. The transition chapter won, as you can see, but I promise the date is next! Are you excited? I am! xD

Alright, sorry for the delay on this chapter, but please review anyways! :3


	12. The Date

I am a horrible person for not updating in forever. I had this horrible… well, it wasn't really a writer's block, but it kind of was. I had ideas, but I didn't have a **will** to write. It sucks when it happens, let me tell ya. The funny thing is, I was listening to my iPod, and this one song came on and suddenly… BAM. I wanted to type. So, you can thank my iPod for this update xP

**Disclaimer:** I do not own "Yu-Gi-Oh!" or any of the characters. I only own this story line.  
Another thing: I do not own Stratum. Though I wish I did, 'cause then I'd go there every week XD

So, please read and refrain from throwing things angrily at me. To assure I will be safe, I shall hide behind this door over here…

* * *

Friday.  
The day of the week that every student looks forward to, no matter what age they are. To most students, Friday meant there would be a whole two days with no waking up early and no homework. But to one student, however, Friday meant there was only one day left before his date.

Yugi walked down the sidewalk with a bounce in his step and a smile on his face. He was looking forward to the next day, the day when he could finally have his date with Yami. Yugi couldn't suppress an excited giggle.

Jounouchi caught up with Yugi then, looking extremely pissed about something. Yugi tried to look concerned, but he couldn't keep the happiness from his voice, "It something wrong, Jounouchi?"  
"It's that stupid—never mind," huffed Jou, "It's nothing." He eyed someone angrily.  
Yugi tried to follow his friend's glare and spotted a tall brunette getting into a limo. Yugi knew instantly that it must be Seto Kaiba. Yugi smirked, "It's Kaiba, isn't it?"  
Jounouchi flinched and looked away, "… Maybe. That guy just… irks me." Yugi laughed good-naturedly and looked ahead, still happy.

"Hey," Jou nudged Yugi, "You seem happy today. What's up?"  
Yugi blushed, "Oh, ah, it's nothing, really…"  
Jounouchi smirked, "Oh, let me guess… you have some hot date tomorrow, right?"  
"Jounouchi!"  
Jou laughed, "Hey, only kidding. Even if you did, not like your dad would let you, right? He hardly even lets us hang out anymore."  
Yugi's happiness seemed to disappear at that. How could he have forgotten about his father? "Yeah…" Yugi said, distracted now that he had to somehow get his father to allow him to go on his date.

Yugi spotted a street corner, where Jou and he always had to go their separate ways. "Alright, Jou; I'll see you Monday, okay?"  
Jou smiled, "Alright, Yug."  
"Oh, and Jou?"  
"Yeah?"  
The smaller teen smirked, "Go and ask out Kaiba already."  
A light red color came to Jou's face, "What!"  
Yugi ran off towards home, laughing to himself about his friend's reaction.

Yugi quickly collected himself before he walked in through his front door, not wishing to explain what was so funny to his father.  
He wouldn't find it amusing anyways.

The moment Yugi walked in, he knew something was different. He walked further inside and saw what was so different: his dad was sitting at the dining room table in front of his laptop, typing and writing things down on a pad of paper.  
In other news, he was actually _working_.  
As strange as it was, Yugi decided to not stand around gawking. His father did **not** like working, so there was a likely chance he'd be irritable. He decided to silently make his way up to his room instead.

Yugi opened the door to his room, finding his mother putting laundry away into his dresser. He dropped his backpack on the ground, "Hey, mom."  
Sara looked over her shoulder, "Oh, hey, Yugi! How was your day at school?"  
"It was good."  
Sara, seeing his son was acting distracted, asked, "Are you okay?"  
Yugi shrugged, "I have a bit of a problem…"  
"What is it?"  
Yugi took a deep breath, "Well, I really want to spend the day tomorrow with a friend, but I'm afraid that dad won't let me."  
Sara put her arm around her son, "It'll be okay. I'll talk to him, okay?"  
"Really?" Yugi's face lit up, "You would do that for me?"  
"You're my son! Of course I would!"  
Yugi gave his mom a hug, "Thanks, mom!"

Sara left Yugi's room, giving him a loving pat on the head, before heading downstairs. Yugi could hear the muffled talking from his room. Quiet at first, it quickly grew louder as a male voice, his father no doubt, began to yell. The two went back and forth for a few minutes before it was interrupted by a ringing phone.  
Yugi seriously hoped that it was **not** Yami.

Yugi's dad answered it and it all grew quiet.  
Yugi exited his room and stood at the top of the stairs, "_Please don't let it be Yami, please don't let it be Yami, please don't let it be—_"  
Mr. Mutou let out an angry grunt, "Fine. I'll be there in a few minutes." He hung the phone up and spoke again, "I'll be back later. It seems I'm needed at work."  
Yugi peered down the stairs and saw his dad close his laptop and tuck it under his arm then grab his pad of paper and proceeded out the door. He waited until he heard the door shut before heading down the staircase.

Sara smiled gently at her son, "I'm sorry, honey; your father doesn't want you seeing anyone tomorrow. He says you need to stay home to study. Your math grade is low, so I'm told."  
"It's rising!" Yugi protested, "The only reason I have a B is because the latest grades hadn't been inputted before the progress report was sent out!"  
"It's alright, Yugi. No need to worry about it, since I actually got an idea from your dad's phone call. Go grab yourself a soda from the fridge and just relax; I'll take care of things, alright?"  
Yugi nodded, "Alright, mom."

Yugi took a soda from the refrigerator like his mom suggested and sat down in a chair, drinking it slowly as his mom began to make many phone calls. Yugi thought he hears her asking for a 'favor' from some, but quickly mentally scolded himself for listening in on his mom's conversations. He did his best to tune it out, but found himself nervously fidgeting in his chair.  
As time passed, Yugi ended up laying on his chair upside-down, letting the blood rush to his head.

Yugi's mom put her hand over the bottom half of the phone, "Yugi, the phone's for you."  
He blinked and pushed himself up and out of his chair. He walked over to his mom and took the phone, "Hello?"  
"Hey, Yugi, it's Yami."  
Yugi blushed slightly, really wishing that the sound of Yami's voice would stop making him do so, "Oh! Yami, hi!"  
Sara Mutou smiled and wandered into the next room, trying to give her son some privacy.  
"I hope I didn't call at a bad time…" Yami went on.  
"No, not at all!" Yugi protested, "Of course not!"  
"That's good. I was just calling to ask what time would you like to meet up tomorrow."  
Yugi contemplated this for a little, "Ah, uhm… well, it shouldn't matter. Anytime is fine. Well, except for times like four. In the morning, I mean. I'd still be sleeping. Unless you had something planned where we **had** to go at four in the morning, then by all means—"  
"No, Yugi," Yami interrupted with a laugh, "We won't be going that early. How about ten thirty? Is that alright?"  
"Ten thirty… yes, that should be fine."

Sara walked back into the room and took the phone from her son, speaking sweetly into the receiver, "Excuse me, this is Yugi's mother."  
"Mom?" Yugi asked, afraid to what she would say.  
Mrs. Mutou smiled, "I just wanted to make sure you'd have my son back by two o'clock. As much as I'd love for your date to last all day, I'm afraid there's a limit to how long Yugi can be gone. Understand?"  
Yugi's mouth fell open, "_Did she just call it a date?_"  
Sara paused for a moment, listening, before nodding, "Thank you, young man." She handed the phone back to Yugi.  
He gave his mom a funny look, "You're letting me go until two? But, what about dad?"  
Sara shrugged, "I can only keep your father out of the house for about four hours, I'm afraid. During then, you can spend some time with this boy."  
Yugi grinned, "Thanks so much mom!" He tackled her in a hug before going back to the phone, "Are you still there, Yami?"  
"I am. Could I have your address, Yugi? It's common courtesy to pick up ones date."  
Yugi nodded before remembering Yami couldn't see him, "Yeah, no problem."

* * *

Yugi looked down at his book, working diligently on studying. At least, that's what it seemed like to anyone who happened to look over. Truthfully, he was only scanning the page, not taking in any actual information. Yugi was full of anticipation for his date: he felt excited, nervous and happy all at once.

Mr. Mutou walked down the stairs, dressed in a suit and carrying a briefcase, muttering under his breath to himself angrily.  
"Well, you look fancy. Where are you going today?" Mrs. Mutou asked.  
"I was called into work today," he responded, "Apparently, I have a whole handful of meetings I need to go to today! I'll be going from one to another, four hours straight. Not a single break!"  
Sara put on a false pitiful smile, "I'm sorry, hon. You'll get through it, alright?"  
He grumbled, "Whatever. I'll be home by two thirty, alright?" He turned to his only son, "You'd better be studying, you got that?"  
"Yes, sir," Yugi politely responded.  
Mr. Mutou nodded in approval and left through the front door. The moment Yugi knew he was gone, he pushed out of his chair so fast that the chair fell. He didn't spend time to pick it up, though; he was too busy dashing up the stairs.

Yugi's mom laughed, "What's the hurry?"  
"I have to get ready!" He called from upstairs, "Yami will be here in ten minutes!"  
He quickly picked out an outfit that he thought would look nice on him and was in the middle of brushing his hair and teeth simultaneously when there was a knock at the door. He quickly tossed the two brushes aside and rushed down the stairs, yelling, "I'll get it, I'll get it!" Even though he said it, he still saw his mother trying to open the door. He gently tried to push his mother away, whispering, "I'll answer it!"  
"Well," she said, "you look nice."  
"Yeah, yeah, now go!" Yugi said, making his mom roll her eyes.  
"I'm going, I'm going…" She walked into the next room.

Yugi quickly smoothed out the wrinkles on his shirt and answered the door, "Hi, Yami."  
Yugi felt his heart skip a beat when Yami smiled, "Good morning, Yugi. Ready to go?" He held out his hand. Yugi found his mouth suddenly dry as he placed his hand into Yami's, so instead he just nodded.  
The pair were heading outside, Yugi closing the door behind him, when Sara Mutou shouted in the distance, "You kids have fun!"  
Yugi flinched, blushing, "Mom!"  
Yami laughed and Yugi closed the door, sighing.

"You look very nice, Yugi," Yami said, giving Yugi's hand a squeeze.  
Yugi smiled, "Oh, th-thanks… So, ah, where are we going?"  
Yami grinned mischievously, "You'll see."

* * *

"Uhm, Yami?" asked Yugi, staring up at the building in confusion, "What… is this place? I've never heard of it…"  
Yami led Yugi to the front door, pushing it open with a smile, "Well, I wouldn't think so. After all, you did tell me you'd never done laser tag before."  
"That makes sense, seeing as the place is called 'Stratum Laser Tag'…" Yugi muttered to himself. He then raised his voice, "Wait, you were serious?"  
Yami raised an eyebrow, "What?"  
"When you said you'd take me to go play laser tag. I didn't think you were serious."  
Yami looked Yugi in the eyes, "I promised I'd take you. When I promise something, I don't break it, no matter how silly it may seem."

Yugi's breath caught in his throat, "_His eyes. Oh, gosh, they're so… captivating. No, stop, Yugi! Stop it! You can't just get lost in his eyes like that! Look away, just look away… oh, heck I can't do it. Just… say something, at least._"  
"I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to… upset you."  
Yami chuckled, "Nothing to worry about." He patted Yugi on the hair and turned towards the front counter, still holding tightly onto his date's hand.

Yami quickly spoke with the man behind the counter for a few minutes and paid for their laser tag game before heading over to wait by a door.  
"So," Yugi began, "How do you play this game?"  
"Don't worry, it'll all be explained. It's a really easy concept," Yami reassured with a smile.  
Yugi nodded and looked down at their hands, still locked together. "Say, Yami?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Uhm, I was just wondering… why have you been holding my hand this whole time?"  
"That's because I like holding it, Yugi," Yami explained, slightly concerned, "Does it bother you?"  
Yugi shook his head and smiled up at Yami, "No. I… like it. I've never really held hands with anyone before, but I like the feeling. It makes me happy."

A large group of kids, probably about the age of ten, gathered at the door as well, all yelling at each other and being, well, kids. Within the next few minutes, a few other adults and children had gathered at the door, waiting for their game of laser tag.  
Finally, the door opened and a worker looked at the crowd, smiling, "Alright, come on it everyone."  
The crowd of kids rushed in as if their lives depended on it and Yami tugged Yugi in, "Come on, let's go."  
Yugi found himself in a dark, dimly-lit room. The man who let everyone in shut the door behind him and began to explain how to play the game.

After about five minutes, he finally led the group through a doorway on the right side of the room. Yugi scratched the back of his head, "The point of this game, is to shoot people?"  
Yami laughed, "Technically, yes, I suppose that's the point. Remember, there are three teams. The teams are separated into pack colors: red, blue and orange."  
Yugi nodded, "Got it." They arrived in the next room, full of packs sitting on bars connected to the wall.  
"Have a color preference?" asked Yami.  
"Well… I guess I like blue," Yugi shrugged.

Yami took two blue packs off the rail and handed one to Yugi, "Alright, just slip it over your head."  
"I got it, Yami. Thanks," Yugi said, putting the pack over his head and pulling the laser gun from its place on the pack. He put one hand on the trigger and glanced at the plastic weapon, wondering why the heck it was so large.  
Yami took Yugi's other hand and placed it at the end of the gun, "Don't forget to keep one hand there at all times; if you don't touch the heat censor, the laser won't fire."  
Yugi's blushed in embarrassment for forgetting that when it had just been said a little over a minute ago, "Er, I knew that."

A worker rushed everyone out of the pack room and into the arena, making the room fill with the excited screams of ten-year-olds very quickly. "Come on, we get half a minute before the actual game starts. Let's go!" Yami said, taking Yugi's hand again and running into the arena. Yugi followed Yami up a few platforms and around many corners before a buzzer rang. Yami dropped Yugi's hand and reached for the laser gun, clasping it in both hands, "Well, let the games begin."

Yugi took his own weapon and stared around in confusion, "So, uhm, what do I do now?"  
"You find someone with a different colored pack than your and shoot them. If you hit them, their pack will shut off and their gun will stop working for ten seconds and you get points. Like… oh, there's someone on the red team now. Watch." He aimed the plastic weapon and pulled the trigger. Someone up ahead with a red pack looked around in dismay as their pack shut off.  
"There, simple. Now you try with… oh, there's an orange pack," Yami pointed, "You get them."  
Yugi shrugged and aimed hesitantly, pulling the trigger.  
"There you go! That's all there is to it. Simple, right?"

Yugi looked at the gun in his hands, a smirk slowly growing on his face, "I like this game." He looked around and saw someone on another team rounding the corner. He grabbed Yami's arm and retreated into the corner, "Don't move! There's someone there." He peered around the corner for a second then hid again. He waited a moment before jumping out and shooting them.  
He watched the pack lose color and laughed triumphantly, "Ha **ha**! Success!"

Yami scratched the back of his head, stepping out of the corner, "Uh, Yugi?"  
"Hang on!" Yugi dashed behind Yami and shot someone else, "Got him!"  
Yami laughed, "Yugi, you know this is a game right?"  
The smaller teen didn't seem to be listening, as he scanned their surrounding suspiciously, "It's not safe here. We can be easily trapped. Come! We must find higher ground!" He pulled Yami by his sleeve out of the area, dashing up another platform.

Yugi released Yami's arm and ran by a window, pressing himself against the wall and looked out quickly. He spotted a few people on the ground and shot at them, ducking after he hit each one. After he took out everyone he could see, he moved to the next window. Yami, meanwhile, moved to a different window and shot nonchalantly, chuckling at his date who was taking things so seriously.

When Yugi looked out the window again to shoot, someone else shot him instead. He looked at his pack in dismay as it shut off, "What! Who did that?" He looked down to see a boy aiming up at him. Yugi glared, "That boy's going **down**. Come on, Yami!" He pulled Yami away from the room and ran down the platforms, finding the boy within range. Yugi aimed and fired, but missed. "Curses!" he said and ran after the boy. He aimed and shot again, only to miss **again**.  
This process was repeated a few times, and the boy noticed Yugi following him. He shot the two a funny look before stopping in the middle of the arena, "Dude, would you stop following me?"  
Yugi aimed and shot, making the other boy's pack shut off. He raised his gun in the air, yelling, "**Success!**" He then ran off. Yami began to laugh, apologizing to the boy as he hurried after his date.

"Take that! And that! And **that**! And— what?" Yugi noticed his gun had stopped working. He shook it a few times before realizing his pack wasn't working either. "What… no! I don't remember being shot…"  
Yami placed his hand on Yugi's shoulder, "The game's over, Yugi. We have to go back."  
Yugi looked down at his gun and up at Yami. He looked back and forth a few times before clutching the gun to his chest, his eyes wide and pleading, "Can… we play again?"

Yami Sennen felt his face grow red at he looked into the large, pleading amethyst eyes of Yugi. "Of course, Yugi," he said, watching as Yugi grinned and cheered, taking Yami's hand. He then skipped back to the pack room, dragging Yami with.

The two were soon at the front counter again, paying for a new game. "Yugi, how many more games do you want to play? Because, if you want, we can leave and go grab some lunch or something…"  
Yugi hugged Yami's arm, "No, no! I want to play this forever… besides, I'm not hungry!"  
Chuckling, Yami patted Yugi's head, "Alright, Yugi. Whatever you want."

* * *

"Ha! Did you see that? I only got hit **once** that entire game!" Yugi exclaimed, coming out of another game of laser tag.  
"Well, you've certainly come out of your shell since we came here," Yami pointed out.  
Yugi laughed nervously, "Oh, yeah… I just get really into games, I guess…"  
"Well, you have one more chance to get a perfect score," Yami said, glancing at the watch on his wrist.  
Yugi frowned, "What? Only one? Why?"  
"I have to get you home," Yami said, showing Yugi the time, "I was kinda hoping to take you to do something else as well, but…"  
Yugi took Yami's hand, "No, don't look so upset! This was fine, honest! If I could, I'd play this all day, all **week**, with you!"  
Yami tilted Yugi's head town with his free hand and kissed Yugi's forehead, "You're really sweet, Yugi."

Yugi couldn't help but let out a sigh when he put the pack over his head again, "_This is the last game, Yugi. Better make the best of it, right?_" He held the gun in his hands and stood next to Yami, making sure to stick by him at all times, as he had in all his previous games. The worker sent everyone out into the arena again and Yugi ran for the back of the room, Yami trailing behind.  
"_And in five, four, three, two…_" Yugi counted in his head, the buzzer sounding out in the arena when he reached 'one' in his mind.

He dashed around the large room, shooting at anyone who wasn't blue. Yugi had to admit, laser tag was a bit of a rush; he enjoyed it, and the bonus was: it couldn't kill you.  
He continued to shoot at enemies, mostly aiming up; because of this, he didn't watch where he was going and ran right into someone else on the blue team. Their gun accidentally hit Yugi in the arm, pretty hard as well. The boy apologized and continued on his way, but Yugi actually dropped his gun and clutched his arm. He fell onto one knee and gritted his teeth, "Right on the bruise, right on the bruise, why did it have to be right on the bruise?"  
Yami was by Yugi's side immediately, "Yugi? Are you alright? Yugi?"

Yugi wasn't really listening. The pain from that bruise brought memories, memories of all the times he'd done something wrong in his father's eyes. "_Was there ever I time I didn't have a bruise?_" wondered Yugi, "_Honestly, was there ever a time in my life where I didn't have a single wound inflicted on me from my father? Has he ever waited for my wounds to heal, at all?_" He already knew the answer to that question and hated it. He **hated** it. He didn't want to go home. He wanted a normal life, one where he didn't have to live in fear.

"Yugi?" Yami asked again.  
Yugi looked up, trying to keep himself calm. He released the grip on his arm and instead grabbed onto Yami's shirt. He looked at Yami, his voice pleading, "Yami, earlier today you said you'd never break a promise, no matter what… didn't you?"  
Yami was caught off guard by this, wondering what brought it on….  
"Didn't you?" Yugi asked again, prying for an answer.  
Yami nodded, "I… I did."  
"Then promise me," Yugi said, his voice wavering, "Promise that you'll never hurt me."

Yami used one arm to pull Yugi into a tight hug, using the other to tilt up Yugi's chin. Yami stared into Yugi's eyes, his voice soft and honest, "I promise." The moment after speaking those two words, he gently pressed his lips to Yugi's.

* * *

I DID IT. I FINALLY DID IT. *fist pump* XD

Do other states other than mine have Stratum Laser Tag? Because if they don't, I totally just revealed where I live.  
By the way, being a sniper is surprisingly fun in laser tag. AS IS PRETENDING IT'S REAL. Seriously, making things dramatic is awesome XD  
And being the blue team is best, since red and orange look so much alike it's not even funny. Thus, if you're on the blue team, it's a lot easier to spot enemies.

... Anyways, please tell me what you thought of this chapter (or the story in general) by hitting that nice little review button. Trust me on this: it is your very good friend. And mine :D


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